Baby Frost
by ArtemisApollo97
Summary: A surprise to the other Guardians, Tooth and Jack present to them a mini version of them. Man in Moon help them if he's anything like Jack. But somebody's not happy about being left out of the loop...
1. Chapter 1

**Rise of the Guardians is not mine, but there is an OC in here that is yet to be named. As I've never written a ROTG fic before, the characters might be a bit OC, so I'm sorry about that!**

* * *

Jack hovered outside the window, seeing the silhouette curled on the bed, their back against the headboard. His fingers brushed the glass, frost curling across the panes as he pushed it inwards. The figure on the bed smiled up at him, the light from the moon highlighting her features.

"And where have you been?" Tooth asked, her violet eyes shining excitedly.

"Oh, around and causing mayhem. Nothing new." Jack set his staff against the wall and sat on the bed next to her.

"He looks just like you." She shifted, revealing a small blue bundle with a shock of white hair and eyes as equally purple as hers. He was so small! It was no wonder they managed to keep him secret from the others for so long. Heck, they didn't even know _now_.

Tooth set the infant in Jack's arms, watching as an incredulous smile brightened his eyes. This baby, by all standards, should have been physically impossible, but here he was, curled in Jack's arms and drifting off to sleep, looking every inch adorable as his father.

She sat up straighter and stretched her wings. "I've called the others."

"What did you tell them?"

"There was a surprise." As soon as the words had left her lips, there was a thud outside. Jack moved to the window and peered out, seeing Bunny hurriedly scramble for the sleigh. He was waving his arms frantically, hopping about North while spewing curses, no doubt, about that sleigh. Everybody loved the sleigh.

Sandy suddenly appeared in the window, grinning. A series of symbols flashed over his head, the majority Jack saw as question marks.

Then Sandy saw the tot Jack was holding and the question marks turned to exclamation marks.

North and Bunny appeared in the room minutes later, North barely squeezing through the door designed for Tooth. It was _her_ Tooth Palace after all.

"Vat is the meaning of all this then?" North boomed happily, glad to see all his friends in one place. Sandy pointed frantically at Jack, bouncing about with a wild, excited grin.

Tooth shushed North kindly, pulling herself from the bed and floating to Jack's side. She beckoned her other two friends over, smiling to herself as they shared cautious glances.

"It's a wee blighter." Bunny marvelled. "Ugh, spitting image of his dad though."

"Offended." Jack said. Bunny ignored him, looking at Tooth questioningly.

"Yes, you can hold him." Tooth laughed. Jack eased his son into Bunny's arm, smirking as the humanoid rabbit's eyes widened and he smiled too. See, his good looks were irresistible.

"Vy we not knowing of Baby Frost?" North demanded, his eyes wider than usual and sparkling with joy.

"Tooth." Jack replied.

"Jack." Tooth said at the same time. She wrinkled her nose at him, distracted seconds later by 'Baby Frost' mewling and waving his tiny fists.

"I didn't do it!" Bunny insisted. Jack snickered, earning a glower from his frenemy. "Does the little sunspot have wings?"

"No. I've already checked." Tooth soothed her son, hearing excited chatter outside the door. Seconds later, a swarm of her loyal fairies buzzed into the room and flying about their heads. Many floated near Jack, not even being discreet in the slightest.

* * *

With help from Sandy, 'Baby Frost' slept peacefully all night, which suited busy Tooth. Caring for the infant wasn't organised at all, Jack in and out of the Tooth Palace all day, sometimes with 'Baby Frost' and sometimes without him. North had not stopped making toys for his 'nephew' and Bunny had even offered to babysit, surprisingly.

Jack was looking after 'Baby Frost' at the moment, pondering names. 'Baby Frost' appeared immune to the cold, like Jack, and didn't seem to mind the sling Jack put him in either.

"Any ideas?" Jack asked the moon. Once again, he was unsurprised by the lack of response. Instead, he glanced down at the little village he had found and he felt a sudden desire to make it snow. Heavily. And then maybe a snowball fight. Those were the best, even after all these years.

He called to the wind and was instantly lifted from the roof. 'Baby Frost' stirred in the sling against Jack's chest, his vibrant purple eyes flitting about and then fixing on Jack's face. "Want to cause some trouble?" A line of drool escaped down 'Baby Frost's chin. "Yeah, me too." He shot up, the wind whistling through his hair and drawing laughter from him. Throwing out the crooked end of his staff, he whirled up a few clouds and had it snowing.

"Jack!" He stopped mid-air, twisting around. Tooth was shivering not far from him.

"Hey!" He grinned.

"Why do you have to make it so _cold_?" He shot her a 'duh' look, tucking his staff's crook about her waist and dropping, taking them to warmer temperatures. Not that it was overly warm, but still.

"Race you to Jamie." He smirked. Her challenging gleam consumed her eyes and she checked that 'Baby Frost' was secure.

"Fine. But just this on- oh, that's freezing!" She smacked his arm, shivering even worse than before as the snowball crumbled through her feathers. "And I was going to be nice." She vanished just as the words left her mouth. Jack laughed heartily to the clouds, proud of himself for drawing out this competitive and slightly rebellious side. She wasn't at work just to come out and see him.

He shot above the clouds, facing the moon briefly before racing after her.

He failed to notice the demeaning shadow searing across his snow clouds behind him.

* * *

**As I said, I've never written ROTG before, so this might not be amazing or all that good, but I'm trying! I want to update this as often as I can, alongside the other ones of mine, so I'm hoping that works. I quite like the ideas I had for it! :D **

**What do you all think? And what do we think for a name for 'Baby Frost'? **


	2. Chapter 2

**To Awesome as Annabeth- I'm so used to writing PJO as well! It was so difficult! I love writing cliffy endings! It wasn't meant to be until later on, but I felt like bringing it forward a bit. And most likely- he is the King of Cliff-hangers! **

**Thank you to The One Named MoonLight for suggesting Jokul! And to Elmlea for offering Edur- which means 'snow' in Basque, apparently. I never knew that. I've used both names as middle names- I hope you don't mind, but I couldn't choose which one for the first name! This way I can use them both :D **

**If I don't update this often, it's not entirely my fault- I can only remember the beginning and the end and have forgotten pretty much everything that came in the middle D:**

* * *

Cal Jokul Edur Frost tottered after his parents, bouncing around their legs and pulling on their sleeves.

"Please!" He pleaded. "I want to come too!" Jack laughed and was all for bringing his four year old son along for the tooth collection tonight, but Tooth wasn't so lenient. "I'll be really good!" He promised, his purple eyes widening pleadingly. "I won't throw any snowballs!"

"Aw, c'mon Tooth. Look at that face." Jack spun his staff and Cal grabbed the crooked end, easily balancing himself on it and grinning broadly at his father. He jumped and hooked his arms around Jack's neck. "He's fast." Jack reminded her. "Quick as a bunny."

"So are my fairies."

"Looks like a snow day then."

"Not this close to Easter. Bunny will have your head." Cal snickered and hung upside down all of a sudden on Jack's magic staff. Tooth gasped and grabbed at him, hauling him to safety. He squirmed in his mother's arms as she flexed her wings and joined her fairies. Jack ran a hand through his hair, glancing around irritably. Something was off, but he couldn't tell what.

Twisting his fingers against his palm, he conjured a snowball and with honed accuracy, hit Tooth in the leg with it. She stopped and glared back at him, Cal making it snow about them and giggling to himself.

Pointing at him, Tooth sent a flurry of her fairy minions after Jack. They seemed happy with this, chattering and buzzing excitedly around him, occasionally pecking him for attention. Baby Tooth, his ever loyal friend, came to his aid, shooing away her sisters and settling on Jack's shoulder, squeaking at him. It sounded like a concerned lecture from a friend more than anything else. "Alright, alright. I shouldn't have thrown a snowball." He relaxed his shoulders, seeing Tooth give a content nod and turning away to carry on flying.

Cold splattered against her hip that time. There was no changing Jack's outrageous ways, but why couldn't he be the Guardian of summer instead of winter?

Tucking in her wings, she dived down to be face-to-face with him. He met her half way, freeing Cal from her hold easily. Cal sat on Jack's shoulders and watched as his mother easily fell victim to Jack's dazzling smile.

Jack only gave that winner's smile when he was in _big_ trouble- Tooth would get distracted and would hurriedly inspect his teeth, her usual bubbly and easily-excited hyperactivity returning. It was a small price to pay, but he won.

Baby Tooth babbled to Tooth, who instantly pulled herself together.

"We have work, I know." She cast Jack a contemplating look, but her enthusiasm about tonight's work burst up and she squealed. "I bet we find loads! Let's go!" She grabbed Jack's sleeve and flew them straight up again.

Jack saw many human dwellings pass by beneath them, factions of tooth fairies splintering off and rummaging them all for teeth. He had to keep grabbing Tooth from visiting every single one and save her eagerness for the bigger cities. And he steered her clear of billboards.

She dived here and there, calling out various teeth names and zipping from one to the next. Jack saw brief glimpses of her as he had to keep up with Cal as it was. He wasn't as excited as his mother about collecting the teeth; he just liked sneaking into rooms and playing the risk of being caught. Like a spy.

"Look!" Cal hissed happily, holding up a red drawstring back of 'gnashers'.

"Aw, you're winning." Jack held up his own bag, which was considerably smaller than his son's. Cal gave a wicked, devilish giggle and hopped onto Jack's back. "You're making it snow again." He chuckled as he climbed stealthily from the window and floated up to the roof. Tooth rushed by at the second, a hoard of her faithful fairies talking nineteen to the dozen to her and each other.

"Race!" Cal insisted, pointing eagerly after his mother. Jack was all for it, summoning the wind to his aid and shooting after Tooth. He caught up in seconds, grinning impishly. "Mam, look!" Cal held up his collection. "And I left gifts!" He said proudly. Tooth beamed.

"Hey, I was working too, you know." Jack held his own bag up, jostling it about and hearing the teeth clatter together.

"What do you want, a medal?"

"That would be nice." Tooth made to reply, but her eyes flicked to over his shoulder. She stopped short, pointing frantically and squealing. She lunged past him and snuck in a window _way _too easily. _So that's where Cal got it from_… Jack mused to himself, leaning against the wall and peering through the window as Tooth sneakily retrieved the tooth and replaced it for a quarter. She smiled at the sleeping child and fluttered from the room.

Jack grabbed her arm and her attention with a very fine layer of frost. "Hey." He grinned.

"Teeth to collect! Come on!" Tooth brushed the frost from her skin and vanished instantly.

"Daaaaddddyyy…"

"Cal?"

"I want to see Phil." Jack grinned up at Cal.

"Oh really?" His protégée nodded enthusiastically and they both gained rascally grins. "I think he misses us anyway."

* * *

An hour later, after depositing the teeth, Cal and Jack were now trying to sneak into North's hidden workshop. Even now, Jack wasn't trusted unsupervised in the workshop and the yetis still tried to drag him out. The furthest they had ever gotten was to where the sleigh was kept. Unfortunately, there had been a trio of yetis and some very annoying elves there and they had been spotted in seconds.

Instantly, they spotted two yetis guarding an entrance. Jack hid behind the mound of ice, the snow suddenly seeming brighter about his hand. Cal was hopping from one foot to the other in excitement, his mauve eyes wide with anticipation. He tugged sharply on Jack's hand.

"Come on, Daddy!" He whispered. "Unki North is funny!"

"You just like freezing the elves."

"It's their faces." Cal told him, crossing his eyes and willing his face into a lopsided expression. Jack reached down and ruffled Cal's hair, watching the yetis cautiously while concealing a chuckle.

Propping his staff against the ice mound hiding them, Jack beckoned a sudden gust of snow and ice wind to hurtle past the yetis, causing a momentary distraction. Cal jumped up and they were up and past the yetis in no time.

Cal giggled to himself, something Jack had grown used to over the years. "Mam's going to kill us. We're not allowed here."

"Now where's the fun in that?" Jack stopped, clinging to a stalactite of ice. Fifty or so feet below them, a trio of yetis patrolled down the hall. He hopped from one stalactite to another, barely dislodging any snow. He stopped whenever a group of yetis passed, Cal's thin arms tightening around his neck whenever he did. There was that childish excitement they both felt at visiting Santa's workshop.

Within half an hour, they had reached the sleigh room. They had run out of stalactites and Jack didn't dare risk making more. Somebody would notice.

Cal gasped and scrambled onto Jack's shoulder, peering over the ice boulder and looking wondrously at the sleigh.

"Let's go on that!" He landed next to Jack, bouncing about and giving Jack the pleading look. "It could be a test-drive and we could go and see Bunny!"

"You've got to stay on the good list, remember?" Cal waved it off. "That's my boy." Jack grinned. 'Borrowing' the sleigh was so tempting, but North's swords were so sharp, anything similar was blunt in comparison.

Jack pulled Cal away and ducked down as another group of yetis stomped past, garbling with each other. They had surrounded the sleigh. Cal made a face in their general direction, mouthing 'toys' to show his change of plans. He climbed up onto Jack's back again and his father floated over the ice mound quietly, throwing a wary glance at the yetis and then hurrying down the hall.

There were many turn-offs along this seemingly never-ending hall and Jack had to stop every few seconds to make sure there were no yetis patrolling about. Back in a hall, he could hop from stalactite to stalactite, which Cal approved of.

"Jack!" A voice boomed.

"So close." Jack murmured to himself while Cal hissed in disapproval. "Hey North."

"Sneaking around again, are we?" North laughed heartily. "I knew you were here!"

"Let me guess- you felt it in your belly?" The elder man clapped him on the shoulder, more laughter thriving forth.

"And you have little Cal with you!" North picked Cal up easily, his huge hand around Cal's ribs in a friendly and gentle grip. "You wanting to be on Naughty List?" North asked, his eyes sparkling.

"Daddy is." Cal shrugged.

"I hold record." Jack added, mimicking North's voice as best he could. North caught him under his arm and Jack was suddenly trapped.

"You are funny. Come. I have present for young Cal."

"And cookies?" Cal asked carefully, his eyes gleaming hopefully.

"I can get elves to hustle some up."

"They lick them though." Jack grunted, trying to break free from his big friend's unrelenting hold.

"It is no matter." North shrugged, nearly choking Jack. He set Cal on one of his enormous shoulders and they were soon in the workshop.

This place never failed to amaze Jack.

North took them directly to his office, expertly pulling toys from Cal and handing them to yetis. He didn't seem to mind, find the youngster's antics amusing.

Cal was set down on North's desk and got to watch one of North's latest ice-sculptures zipping about on a track- it was a car, a plane, a train, a boat, a submarine.

"Daddy, it's you!" He held up another ice-sculpture and, sure enough, it was Jack. The same crooked staff and the hooded blue sweatshirt with identical ice patterns. "Is there a me?" Cal wondered, peering around at all the ice-sculptures.

"Soon, young Cal." North produced a thin, two foot long box wrapped elegantly in snowflake patterned paper. "For you." He handed it over with a flourish, beaming excitedly. Cal promptly ripped the paper away and discarded the lid. Jack peered around North and saw Cal holding a miniature version of his staff.

"How-?"

"I have worked on it since he was born." North declared proudly.

"And it works?"

"Test it." Jack eased the staff from his son's hands, propping up his own. It was perfect for Cal, twisted just as Jack's was and wielding the same frozen power.

"Perfect. Thinking what I'm thinking?" He quizzed his son.

"Ah, you have dat smile. Dat is never good." North recovered the new staff, suddenly looking like this wasn't a good idea. Poor Tooth for starters! Bunny was sure to be the next victim, alongside his highly annoying elves. Not that he complained, but it wasn't nice on the poor, imbecilic creatures.

Cal suddenly cried out, fear ringing in the tone. He pointed frantically at the window, scrambling to his father. North grabbed a sword and hurried to the window, studying the exterior.

He saw nothing.

"What's the matter?" Jack asked, wrapping Cal in his arms protectively.

"There dark stuff over the window." Cal told him, clinging to him. Jack had never seen Cal scared- he was always so bold and cheeky. Scared hadn't even made an appearance.

"Dark stuff?" Jack repeated. He met North's gaze and saw that he was thinking the same thing.

Pitch.

* * *

**Ta da! Might not be all that, but TA DA! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**To Awesome as Annabeth- Yes, I'm adding Pitch in this. Who else can I use? You said 'Bah' twice there ;) I've been working on this chapter today, kind of… I'm just hoping it's OK 'cos my stupid teachers thought it would be a good idea to throw essays at me today and cut out my story writing time. And no free lessons today! That's so unfair! Um, going off on a tangent there…**

**To ASummer- Infinity 'Finn' Frost... I love it! But he has a name already :'( I'm so sorry! **

* * *

Jack burst into the room, accidently sending out spirals of frost across the floor. Thankfully, everyone present was fairies and they all flew, unintentionally avoiding the treacherously icy floor.

"Jack?" Tooth called, floating down to match eye-level with him, airborne by a foot.

"Pitch is back." Tooth's hands flew to her mouth as she gave a startled cry. She visibly paled and her wings seemed to fail her, stopping and starting until she sunk to the floor.

"Mam?" Cal quizzed. "You OK?" He slid down from Jack's shoulders to join her, nestling on her lap. "Who Pitch?" Neither of his parents answered. Tooth mentally slapped herself, pushing herself up on her shaky legs and taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. It didn't work. Jack grabbed her by the elbow to support her, his eyes relaying a silent, concerned question.

She would be OK. She just had to calm down and not think of the nightmares.

Ever since Cal was born, she had had nightmares. Every Friday- the day he was born- at half three in the morning- the time he was born. At first, she had thought they were maternal worries getting to her, but she gradually noticed their precise timing. On Cal's birthday, they were always worse.

Pitch was in every single nightmare and every one of them showed him holding Cal in a vicious hold with the other Guardians lying in a lifeless heap before him. Jack was on top of the pile, lying on his back and staring blankly upwards, his face slack and paler than she had ever seen.

She would always see the methods he used to dispose of them beforehand, always different and always increasingly gruesome.

"Tooth!" A blast of ice numbed her arm and she was jolted back to her senses. Jack was staring at her, brow furrowed in worry. "What's the matter?"

"We have to get Cal somewhere safe." She replied in a rush, holding her son protectively to her chest. Jack frowned.

"Why?"

"I… I think Pitch is after him." After all these years of keeping it bottled, it was such a weight from her shoulders to finally tell him.

"Are you sure?" She nodded, chewing her lip. Jack ran a hand through his hair, throwing a cautious glance around. His eyes sparked with thought and she waited earnestly, desperately, for him to come up with something. Her own mind was too frazzled to think straight right this second, her thoughts consumed with keeping her son close.

Jack ran a hand through his hair, messing it up further. Sighing, he met her gaze. "We'll keep him safe until we think of something." He promised. "That's what Guardians do, right?" He gave a half-hearted smile, attempting to brush the frost from her arm and looking irritated when he only made the cold worse.

* * *

Oh, he had scared them already.

Lovely.

Pitch stood, concealed in the deep shadows, as Jack and Tooth discussed their son's safety with the other Guardians. Jack was making it snow and freezing any elves that wandered too close. Bunny and North were all too ready for a fight while Sandy was effectively confusing and entertaining Cal with a flurry of golden symbols above his head.

Tooth was fretting and finally- _finally_- resorted to tears as she went over basic details of the nightmares he had enforced ever since finding out about the little brat.

He wanted to know how the child had come about. Guardians and himself included were known not to be able to have children, with each other or otherwise. But here was a perfect example of clear defiance of that knowledge.

Twisting, he vanished into the shadows, instantly melting from another set to settle on a roof. He sneered up at the moon.

"Hello again. You should know by now that nightmares are imminent." He laughed, softly at first and then a laugh that progressed into something much more sinister. "I'm only just warming up, old friend."

* * *

Cal squinted at his new toy and waved it about, sending out a shower of snowflakes. He snatched at a few happily, seeing them rest on his palm. He looked back at the staff and then at his daddy's one. Jack had propped it against the wall and was pacing the room irritably, occasionally hopping/floating from furniture to furniture.

Pushing himself up, Cal toddled over to the bigger staff, glancing at his father. Jack seemed too distracted, muttering to himself and juggling an ice ball.

Yes, he was short, but he had never felt so short compared to his father's most trusted and trademark tool. He reached for it eagerly, nearly unbalancing himself as he did so. Being short, he couldn't hold it properly, meaning it was suddenly top-heavy.

It clattered to the floor and a thick layer of ice suddenly coated the floor. Jack looked round at the unexpected disturbance. Cal gave his best 'I didn't do it' smile, slipping on the ice and falling to all fours.

"I can't get up." He declared. Jack walked over casually and pulled him to his feet.

"Why were you trying to use my one?" He looked amused, kicking the staff up so effortlessly, Cal was jealous. He couldn't even lift the thing and his father swung it around like it was nothing.

"I can't use mine."

"Fine. Class in session." He struck the butt of his staff against the ice and it rippled, turning into snow and blustering up a chilly wind. Snow and ice smothered everything within the room in seconds. Cal managed to stand properly, finding more grip on the snow than the ice. He hurried for his staff and looked up at Jack keenly.

Tooth was on her way up with a tray of milk and cookies, when she heard Jack's laughter. There was a dull thud and then Cal's protests of 'unfair, Daddy!'

She tried the door, finding it blocked shut by something resistant on the other side. Knocking loudly, she called her partner's name.

A series of cracks and more thuds followed and Jack pulled the door open.

"Sorry. Froze it all."

"That was clever." She held the tray out to him, gazing past him to see that her room was now an Artic wasteland. Cal was sat, half-buried in a pile of snow and stretching for his gift from North.

Smoothing her feathers, she threw Jack a pointed look. He was chewing through a cookie before her meaning made any sense.

"I spruced things up a bit. Added some personal touches."

"I want my room back."

"OK, OK… maybe." He scoffed the rest of the cookie and turned to Cal.

"Mam!" Cal beamed. He now had hold of his staff with both hands. "Daddy teach me to make everything Jack Frost!"

"Is that what he said?" Cal nodded, beaming from ear to ear. Tooth tried not to smile, but Jack saw right through that. He casually sent a single snowflake her way and it splashed against her nose. Blue sparkles danced across her eyes and she smiled. She stooped instantly and gathered a snowball, lobbing it at Jack and then dashed to free Cal from his snow drift.

A full force snowball fight quickly ensued and Tooth hadn't felt so relaxed in a long time. Cal was a nightmare during this, snowballs flying from nowhere. They often turned round to see him holding up his staff with a look of pure concentration. Jack felt so proud- he came with a mini version!

Some of Tooth's fairy friends appeared mid-fight, one being struck by a snowball from Cal. Tooth gasped and rushed to help her loyal assistance. Cal was spouting apologies and was scrambling across the snow to see if he had caused any real damage.

Jack left them to it, an eerie feeling warping down his spine. He had never felt the cold, _ever_.

He felt like he was being watched.

Scanning the room slowly and carefully, he took in every inch of detail. Snow and ice covered everything, splatters of snowballs on the walls and furniture evident if you looked.

He faced the window just as it exploded. He had enough wits about him to throw his arms up, glass shards shredding along his arms and one nicking his forehead.

"Jack!" Tooth screamed.

"I'm OK!" Jack assured, lowering his arms a fraction and analysing the window. He snatched up his staff and leapt forward, the wind twisting around him and pushing broken glass out from under his feet.

He studied every angle of the empty window frame and then dared to fly out, not leaving the window unguarded.

"_Jack_!" Tooth cried again. He gave a final searching look and then returned to her side.

They were all unharmed; the fairy that had been struck with the snowball dazed and a little cold, but otherwise OK.

Tooth pointed angrily at the wall above her bed. A single, glistening black arrow had embedded itself there, a narrow sheet of parchment coiled around the middle. Jack edged towards it and unfurled the parchment. The arrow dissolved into an oily black mess splattered against his snow.

_You'll be glad to know I've decided not to ignore you this time, Jack Frost. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Guest reviews: **

**Awesome as Annabeth- No, it doesn't matter that you used 'bah' twice; I was just pointing it out. That's so unfair! We've only been back at school for two weeks, I think- feels like FOREVER. And we don't break up until **_**after**_** my birthday, which means I'm at school on my birthday! Cliffy, I know, sorry! But it's fun! I might just keep this chapter nice… well, nicer and not give it a cliffy. Maybe just a filler chapter and then get to my idea in the next chapter… I've got coursework due in ten days and even now it's overdue as it is. **

**Guest- what did I get around to watching? 'Baby Jack' is a boy. Oooh, there are so many cool names you're all giving me! I wish I could use them! Aurora would be an amazing name for a girl! **

**To tob- you reviewed twice! Awesome! Thank you! Again with the cool names! I feel mean for not using them now! D:**

**To Guest- Exactly! All we know is that he was carried off with the nightmares and fell down a hole. I've seen Frozen! Oh my gods, the animation is AMAZING. And Olaf! Oh my gods, I want one! My friend wants me to write a Jelsa fanfic too- she's slowly joining fandoms and picking up on this shipping business. I feel so proud. **

**This chapter is more of a filler chapter, so I'm sorry about that, but I don't want to jump to my idea too quickly!**

* * *

On Tooth's insistence, Jack had taken Cal away. Tooth had understandably been upset, but she couldn't keep Cal with her or he'd be in more danger. She couldn't go with him either- she wouldn't stand the drastically below zero temperature of the hiding place Jack had secured.

"Where are we going?" Cal asked Jack, jumping and trying to fly alongside his father. He had recently insisted on attempting to use the wind to his advantage, fed up with relying on his father to fly. He hadn't succeeded, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying.

"Just away."

"Where? Why?" Cal glanced at his mother. "Did we annoy Mam too much?"

"Uh… yeah." Jack decided, grasping the only child-proof option. "A bit." Cal snickered and then tried for contrite.

"Sorry Mam." Tooth said nothing, swinging him up into a hug.

"Listen to what your daddy says, OK?" He nodded. For all his mischief and cheekiness, he was a well behaved kid when it mattered.

Tooth drew Jack into a fierce group hug, lingering for a few moments. Jack put his arm around her, setting Cal on his shoulders simultaneously.

He told her not to worry and to make sure she stayed on top of her game- she didn't need the added stress of kids not believing in her if she was too distracted to organize her business.

They left shortly afterwards, Cal sulkily holding onto Jack after he found he still couldn't fly.

To cover his tracks and conceal them from prying eyes (Pitch), Jack dragged up a full-force blizzard. Being who he was, the cold didn't bother him (or Cal) and he could navigate through near blindness in these conditions. He was cool like that, pun not intended.

The flight itself didn't take long; the ferocious, icy winds spurring Jack on and increasing his speed.

"Are we going to see North?" Cal called over the blustering winds.

"No." Jack shook his head, feeling Cal's small shoulders slouch in disappoint. Technically, they were going to be neighbours with North; if an isolated glacier about fifty miles away in a cluster of glaciers and ice bergs counted as 'neighbours'. Jack had figured he could form a series of tunnels within the glacier- most of them wouldn't be used. They were just there to confuse any intruders.

Very complex and secretive neighbours- North knew nothing of their exact location; just aware that they were in a that way direction, frantic arm waving included.

Cal didn't like the confusing tunnels, but he definitely liked the cavernous main room hidden deep within the glacier. Everything was made of ice; the vast Grecian columns, the furniture, the decorations- Jack had been bored and had a sudden burst of creativity, resulting in his own very stylish and very Jack Frost ice fortress.

And it was now Cal-approved.

"Too cold for Mam." The youngster acknowledged. "Can I fly now?"

"I don't know, can you?" Jack smiled, glad that his son remained oblivious to the problems arising.

"I will!" Cal decided, snatching up his staff with a new sense of determination. "You help?" He added, looking at his father pleadingly.

"Maybe…" Jack teased, leaning on his staff and pretending to contemplate his son's request.

Instead of a verbal protest, as expected, Cal hooked the end of his staff around Jack's ankles and knocked him flat in a single swift and weirdly strong movement.

Cal jumped on Jack, standing tall as if to say 'I have slain this mighty beast. Fear me!'

Jack laughed, tipping Cal off and playfully pinning him down. "Impressive." He mused aloud. Cal squirmed, trying to push Jack off.

"I want to fly!" He waved his arms and then sulked, lying flat on the ice with his small arms out to either side.

"Fly then." Jack leapt to his feet, gathering his staff and floating to the top of one of the columns. Cal glared at him.

* * *

Tooth flitted nervously around her palace, inspecting new teeth and helping to organize them. She didn't feel as excited about all the new baby teeth coming in as she usually would have, but her every thought _was_ centred on Jack and Cal. Were they OK? Had they reached the safe house, if she could even call it a house?

"Tooth?" A furry paw covered her shoulder and Bunny tried for a reassuring smile. "They'll be fine. It ain't like that ankle-biter to go down without a fight." He glanced round and lowered his voice. "'Tween you and me, Jack's good too, but you ain't going to get me to bloody repeat that." Tooth gave a soft laugh.

"I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that."

"Hear what?" Bunny challenged heartedly.

"Nothing." Tooth smiled. He gave a content nod.

"Just what I thought."

Tooth ventured to her room following her chat with Bunny. She had no intentions of falling asleep, she just did. Later, she would blame Sandy for that, but she didn't complain- the rest had done wonders to her mood, as had the dream.

She had dreamt of how she and Jack first got together, recalling it as vividly as if it were yesterday.

Following the battle with Pitch, North had decided to fly them all home in the sleigh- something Bunny was not happy with. Tooth, adrenalin now gone, had collapsed into sleep against Jack's shoulder. He didn't notice either, dozing peacefully.

She did not see the dream from her point of view, watching from more of a third person scenario. Bunny glanced back at the pair of them sleeping and noticed Sandy's angelic expression. Who would have thought of Sandy doing some 'match-making'?

Bunny turned to North, who was watching everything interestedly over his shoulder. Bunny bravely pushed himself up, claiming that the two 'lovebirds' needed their own space.

Now it made sense- Bunny had thrown them overboard, despite his terror of the sleigh.

Tooth followed the descent, the sleigh whooshing past overhead. Jack woke up first, confused to begin with and then startled. He hooked his arm around the fitfully sleeping Tooth and twisted his staff with the other and they were airborne with a jolt. Tooth woke seconds later, studying her surroundings and trying to figure out what had happened.

North's laughter carried down to them and the sleigh vanished into a portal.

"You OK?" Jack asked. Tooth remembered how it felt like she was going to explode and had hastily drew away from him, forcing her wings to keep her afloat.

"I'm fine. Are you fine? Of course you're fine, you're teeth are amazing. Wait, what?" Jack was staring at her, highly amused by her babbling and clearly trying not to laugh. "Oh moon and stars…" Tooth grumbled, avoiding his gaze and trying to ignore the fact that her face felt like it was on fire.

"You're pretty amazing too. I never knew you could punch someone's tooth out." He smiled approvingly and it honestly seemed like her heart had melted.

Mentally slapping herself, Tooth returned the smile. She thought of how many times she had told her fairies to keep it together whenever Jack was concerned and here she was, blushing like a school girl, stammering for words and- _was he holding his hand out to her?_

Jack took her hand, a tingling chill working its way up her arm. His eyes shimmered nervously- almost as nervous as she felt.

The rest of that memory was a bit fuzzy, but come on! She did get to kiss Jack Frost.


	5. Chapter 5

**To Awesome as Annabeth- Hold that thought with the cliffy :3 I found out that coursework I've got to do, I think I mentioned it, is due next Friday and I've done bugger all for it :D Now my weekend's full D: I got an 'Awesome as Annabeth awesome' rating? WOOHOO! :D**

* * *

Tooth was woken abruptly by an approximate dozen of her fairies, all chattering to her. Their eyes were round with fear and they all looked at her pleadingly, tension ridiculing their miniscule bodies.

"Hey," Tooth soothed, "One at a time. What's the matter?" Baby Tooth settled in her cupped hands and started squeaking and gesturing, pointing frantically at the door and urging Tooth to get up.

They flew hurriedly down the halls, the smaller fairies just about keeping ahead of their motherly queen. It took a mere handful of seconds to reach the main reception. Tooth would normally stand here and send out instructions of new teeth to collect, but now… now it was covered in icky black sand that writhed and curdled viciously. All of her fairies had retreated to a considerably safe distance, studying the black sand cautiously and apprehensively.

Before she could formulate a response, the black sand retreated, spiralling at the centre of the command room and taking the form of _him_.

Pitch.

Tooth bunched her fists, her fairies bristling in fear and anger around her. "What do you want, Pitch?"

"You know what I want." He smiled calmly, as if they were discussing the weather or here for tea. "Where is that little brat of yours?"

"What makes you think I'll tell you?" She countered. He chuckled to himself, shaking his head almost pityingly at her.

"My, my… I honestly thought you would have learnt by now." He threw out his hand, nightmares and raven sand crashing through a good portion of the eastern wing. Tooth screamed and flew straight at him, but he dissolved, reappearing amongst the havoc and grinning triumphantly.

A particularly large portion of her fairies bravely dived at him, but he shot them all back with a wave of his wretched power. "You tell me where the child is or I'll tear this place down brick by brick." He swatted away a fairy. "Starting with your little pests."

Tooth lunged at him again, striking him heavily across the jaw before he had the chance to escape her wrath. He resurfaced back at the command desk, dull black blood trickling down his chin. "Such a shame." He shook his head disdainfully. "You had so much potential." He pointed at her and his jeering smirk was the last thing she saw before nightmares consumed her.

* * *

Jack had a bad feeling.

Something was wrong- _very_ wrong- but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Cal was happily asleep in a bed of ice, exhausted from the whole day of trying to control his powers. He was very good at freezing things, Jack had found, and equally good at making it snow. They were still trying to figure out if he could fly.

Sighing irritably, Jack swung his staff and a jet of wintery energy crackled up a column, giving it a rough, annoyed-looking edge. Pretty much how Jack felt.

It was hard to tell how long they had been in hiding, but, if Jack had to guess, about a week. Maybe two. Being immortal meant time ran through his fingers like sand and he struggled to track it without any clear evidence.

Cal mumbled something about elves and snowflakes, rolling onto his side and fidgeting in his sleep.

Jack sank onto the bed and lay back, staring up at the ceiling. Why had he made frosty swirls all over it? He didn't like it now.

Raising his staff, he changed the ceiling completely, dragging down varying stalactites. Cal shifted again, nudging Jack's shoulder with his small foot, muttering about teeth and pickles.

Finding he couldn't sit still, Jack got up and started pacing. He froze things and altered things as he did so, unhappy with each change of interior design. There was definitely something wrong and it didn't stop nagging at him. He grasped for answers, but pulled up nothing.

He drifted up to the top of a column he hadn't defaced yet, glancing around at the mess he had caused. It had all been so stylish and relatively tidy, but now… it was like ice had gone to war with itself. Great stalactites of ice sprouted from every angle, jagged and deadly sharp. Snow coated the ground thickly and the ice of the walls and columns was uneven and unartistic.

Jack examined the stalactites from where he was perched, realising they weren't exactly child-friendly. With a wave of his staff, the ones on the walls and floor crumbled, forming soft piles of snow. Another twist and he had an army of unmarked snowmen. He didn't like those either and settled on a snow monster, fifteen feet tall with a fearsome scowl and hard-packed snow for muscles.

After a minute, he didn't like that either. Sinking to the floor, he gave up. Whatever was bugging him wouldn't come clear, but he could think of or do nothing to distract himself.

Cal woke with a start, crying out for his dad. Jack was up in a second, pulling Cal into his hold and sitting on the bed.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Bad dream…"

"About what?"

"You and Mam…" Cal shook his head, tearfully hiding his face in Jack's shoulder. Jack rocked him and talked to him soothingly- it was just a nightmare, he and Tooth were fine.

He stopped mid-sentence when he realised he was helping Cal deflect the effects of a nightmare.

That means…

"Ah, there you are."


	6. Chapter 6

**To Awesome as Annabeth- If you hate cliff-hangers, you'll definitely hate me after this one. My cliff-hangers aren't as bad as Rick's! *cough* Tartarus *cough* I know I'm mean! It's my speciality! :D**

* * *

Tooth opened her eyes groggily, a golden mass hovering over her. Blinking away the fuzziness, she realised Sandy was smiling down at her.

A question mark appeared above his head.

"What happened?"

"Pitch got to you, doll." Bunny stood up from leaning against the wall.

"Thanking Moon Sandy got to you in time." North added, glancing at the moon gratefully through the window.

"What?" Tooth gasped suddenly, ignoring the searing pain in her ribs. "My fairies! Where are my fairies?"

"They are with elves!" North beamed. "Rescued teeth and still working!" Tooth struggled to her feet, Sandy appearing under her arm when she nearly toppled over.

"You should rest." Bunny told her firmly.

"I need to see my fairies."

"But-" Tooth shot them all a steely glare, forcing herself to stand upright. Bunny shuffled back anxiously, knowing full well the brunt force she put into punching people- Pitch- in the face. A halo materialised above Sandy's head and North stood aside.

Her wings fluttered tiresomely, but she willed them to keep her upright. She realised she was at North's workshop, in one of the guest rooms, recognising his sense of style and hoards of toys he kept.

Zipping down the hall and arriving directly in the workshop, she found the air full of fairies darting to and through. One of them chirped excitedly upon seeing her and she was suddenly surrounded by them all.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She assured, trying for a smile. Baby Tooth appeared and told Tooth the events- after Pitch had swamped Tooth with nightmares, Sandy had burst in and sent Pitch flying with a huge slam of dream-sand. Bunny popped from the ground and fought Pitch back while Sandy uncovered Tooth and took her and the other fairies to the waiting sleigh. North had never had so many passengers.

Pitch had tried to chase them, but then had vanished as they neared North's palace. That had been two days ago.

"_Two days_?" Tooth exclaimed. Baby Tooth nodded admittedly, squeaking about how Sandy had washed away all nightmarish residue still lingering and replaced it all with dreams.

Tooth passed a hand over her feathers, glancing around at her loyal fairies. They were all there, every single one of them. Some carried teeth, others carried quarters. Some were beating back curious elves.

The tooth boxes glittered in a far corner. Baby Tooth explained that North had willingly given them as much room as they needed for all their supplies, but it was taking time to adjust working around big, smelly yetis and stupid elves.

"No, it's OK. We can work with this. How damaged was the Tooth Palace?"

"I have yetis fixing it as we speak!" North informed happily. "They be finished in week."

"Thank you." He waved it off. "I mean it, North, this is huge and… we're so grateful," She gestured at her fairies, who all squeaked agreement. "We can't tell you how grateful we are."

"It is fine." North beamed. "Come, you need cookie." He put his arm around Tooth and led her to his office, refusing to listen to how bad cookies and sugar were for teeth. He was more interested in grabbing Bunny and Sandy to join for the cookies as well.

Tooth nibbled nervously at a cookie, reclining in a comfortable armchair in North's office. Baby Tooth was sat on her knee, eyeing the small chunk of cookie she had disapprovingly.

"Where did Pitch go?" She asked.

"We don't know." Bunny said. "Me and the yetis had a look, but we couldn't find the slimy geezer." Tooth just nodded, her appetite waning further. What if Pitch had found Jack and Cal? They had successfully hidden away for nearly two weeks now and Jack would fight to protect their son. Had the nightmare king found them? If he had, what was happening?

* * *

Parallel to her worries, Jack was fighting Pitch and his nightmares while keeping Cal safe. This was not an easy job. In his worry, Cal was making it snow and slipping on ice. Jack had to keep retreating slightly to pull Cal to his feet and move him hastily to what he hoped would be a safer position, but a glacier full of nightmares was not safe at all.

Winter energy exploded from all corners. Jack willed stalactites to drop and impale nightmares, blustering up fierce snowy conditions and icy winds. Crackles of icy bolts erupted from him and his staff, as they had done the night Sandy had died all those years ago.

Pitch stood back and observed, as calm as anything amongst the chaos. For every nightmare that went down, three more replaced it and Jack had no chance of getting to Pitch to stop all this.

A torrent of jet black sand barrelled into his chest, driving him heavily into a column. Thick cracks resounded across the column as pain throbbed relentlessly in Jack's back. Through the ringing in his ears, he could hear Cal crying in fear and worry for his father.

The sand was gritty and biting; cold if Jack could have felt such a thing.

It retreated suddenly, a foreboding darkness towering over him. He hit out with his staff just as large thorns careered from it, firing down on him with the ferocity of Pitch's hatred and expertise.

Jack deflected all but one with an ice wall. The missed projectile buried itself in Jack's shoulder, agony ripping through his chest and propelling down his right arm.

Pitch's laughter divert Jack's mind from the torment and he squinted through the pain-induced blur in his vision to see the nightmare king descending on Cal.

Not on Jack's watch.

He pounced forward, snatching up his son and disposing of Pitch with a gust of freezing wind. He had gained a precious few seconds to escape. Ignoring how pain flared into triple the torture, he raised his staff and carved a direct tunnel to the surface.

Pitch was just getting to his feet as Jack soared up the new tunnel, half-blind with pain and his son clinging desperately and fearfully to him. Jack didn't know if the foe was following them or not; trying to fly straight as his world teeter-tottered viciously.

Cal settled on his good shoulder and Jack grabbed haltingly at the missile embedded in his shoulder.

It wasn't there.

He looked for it, but ended up slamming into the wall. Cal cried out frightfully and gripped to Jack tighter. The pain intensified again and he faltered, his bad shoulder colliding with the wall as he faltered off course.

Then he was suddenly free of the tunnel, the sunlight glaring from the endless chunks of ice.

"Daddy?" Cal's voice trembled with fear. He blinked away the brightness and looked back for Pitch. There was no sign of him. "Daddy?" He tried again, poking Jack gently. Jack's expression was warped with agony and he kept dropping only to slow or momentarily stop the fall and look around, dazed and pained. "You OK, Daddy?"

Jack pushed forward, mentally willing the wind to make him fly faster. He had to get Cal home, regroup and devise a new plan.

* * *

Tooth was pacing her new room and organizing her fairies, who were in and out with messages, news and requests concerning their duties. Tooth collection from the North Pole wasn't ideal- so many fairies had contracted severe colds or pneumonia or their wings had frozen. Her room had become an infirmary of sorts for her beloved fairies. And a hiding hole from the grabby elves who didn't understand violent threats of retreat or else.

Sandy floated in, symbols and pictures popping over his head.

"I'm alright, Sandy." She assured for the millionth time. There were no after-effects of Pitch's attack other than pressure on her worry. He would just vanish like that unless he had something else to do.

Bunny bounced in and opened his mouth to talk, but she cut across. "I'm OK, don't worry about me." She sighed, running a hand over her feathers. "Any news on Jack and Cal?"

"North's still trying to find them." He replied, looking worriedly at her. "They're hidden really well." He offered, trying to lighten her mood.

"Something's not right." She looked at them imploringly, seeing their confusion exchanged in silent glances. Did they not have the bad feeling that had plagued her since Jack and Cal left?

"What'd ya mean?" Bunny quizzed. She rubbed at her arms, as if trying to evade a chill.

"I'm not sure. Something just doesn't feel right." North blundered in at that second, flustered and coated with snow from the sleigh ride around the surrounding ice fields and glaciers.

"Still not a thing. Hiding really well." He pulled his hat off and shook the snow from it and his hair. "I will have quick lunch and then look again."

"Thank you, North." He beamed. Tooth would look herself, but she couldn't run the risk of her wings freezing. A grounded fairy is a useless fairy, not to mention highly vulnerable.

They bounced ideas off of each other, trying to think like Pitch to get at least an ounce of understanding for his plan. Nothing sounded reliable or gave them any comfort, but it at least made them feel a tad useful.

"Blimey." Bunny cut in, hopping to the window. "Is that them?" He quizzed incredulously. They all clustered around him and, sure enough, there was Jack, flying haphazardly towards them and holding Cal to his chest.

Tooth yanked open the window and Jack landed on the thick, stone windowsill. He looked exhausted as he set Cal down.

"Mam!" Cal hurried to her, arms up. Tooth caught him and held him close, beyond relieved to see that they were OK.

Jack shakily stepped down from the window and they all saw that he was leaning heavily on his staff and was sickly pale, rather than his usual pale. Before Tooth had the chance to form any concerned question, he collapsed.

"Jack!" She was at his side in a second, gently rolling him onto his back, unintentionally making him groan in pain. "Sorry, sorry…" Gritty, dark blood stained his shoulder, some of it dry. "Cal, what happened?"

"Bad man find us. Daddy fight him, but he got hit with black thing and Daddy made tunnel to get us out." Cal shook his head. "Bad flying. We crash and fell loads."

Tooth looked back at Jack, gripping his hand. He tried for a smile, but it just added to his grimace. Sandy was inspecting the wound, frowning at the bloody dark sand spoiling his fingertips.

"Can you help him?" Tooth asked quietly, trying to ignore the tremble in her voice and the tears causing havoc on her eyes. Sandy bit his lip, troubled, as an analogue clock appeared above his head and the hands spun around clockwise crazily fast.

"Wound is bad." North translated, looking as equally agitated as Sandy. "Nightmare sand has been there long time." More pictures from Sandy and North paled. "To… change or be away with sand could make worse things for Jack."

"No…" Tooth looked desperately at Sandy. "You have to help him!" Jack twisted in pain, another complaint as his grip tightened on her hand. Frost crept up her arm, but she ignored its numbing coldness. "Sandy, _please_!"

To Sandy's credit, he tried. He conjured up tendrils of dream-sand to seep into Jack's injury in hope of eradicating or altering the dark counterpart already buried deep in his system.

Jack's grimace deepened and he tried to roll away. North and Bunny managed to pin him and Tooth clung to his hand despairingly. Cal had his face buried in her shoulder; his hood pulled up and over his eyes, held there by unsteady hands. His small frame shook with sobs and he curled up in his mother's free arm, not wanting to see his father suffer tenfold.

It was not his obvious agony or the frost now coating her arm and nearing her shoulder that gave Tooth the most worry.

It was the fact that he was getting warmer.

Jack Frost was many things, but he was not _warm_.

Sandy's shoulders slouched in defeat and the dream-sand evaporated. Tooth couldn't clock how long he had tried to help Jack, but it was long enough for her to lose all feeling in her legs.

The dream Guardian looked apologetically at Tooth and then at the floor, closing his eyes as if ashamed for not helping his friend.

Jack looked at Tooth pleadingly. She shifted closer, feeling tears rush down her cheeks. "Jack…" He tugged ever so feebly on her hand, his eyes taking on a cloudy look.

Bunny took Cal from her and stepped back, doing his best to console the ankle-biter. Tooth gently lifted Jack and rested his head in her lap, running her fingers through his hair.

He smiled again, a smile as weak as his grip. "No, Jack, _no_…" Pain twinged in his eyes and his grimace returned. She leant down, holding his face in her shaking hands and kissed him through her tears. She didn't care that the others were watching or that her fairies were nestled about the room.

All she cared about was that he was gone.

* * *

**Aw, I'm so mean. MWHAHAHAHA! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**To Guest- Sage and Charlie withdrawal? If you want- and I get a moment- maybe I could do some more Sage and Charlie one-shots? **

**To Awesome as Annabeth- I have no idea how to spell the… Crusiatis Curse. I'm as confused as you are :P I know this isn't PJO! I love it! :D I know I'm mean and evil… my specialities, of course. And I didn't update last night because I was working on the update and watching Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway- that show is awesome! :D**

* * *

Cal rubbed sleep from his eyes and propped himself up on his free elbow.

"Cal, come on! We've got to go!" His mother called, her tone somewhat sing-song as she drummed her fingers in an irritating beat on the other side of the door.

"Ugh… I'm up…" He mumbled sleepily, collapsing against his pillows and trying to massage exhaustion from his face. He hated these early mornings. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. Why did his mother insist on getting him up now?

Then he remembered.

Tomorrow was the thirteenth anniversary of his father's death. That meant there was a lot of work to do to provide more time for their annual memorial.

His memories of his father were fuzzy, but he always got a warm and loved feeling whenever he thought of him. There was that crystal clear recollection of his father's cheeky smile and mischievous, gleaming eyes and the skill he possessed when wielding his staff and winter abilities. Cal also remembered the tap dancing snowmen in top hats with canes. Those had been so damn cool!

Aside from the memories, Cal had his father's staff. His mother let him have it for his tenth birthday- that was the year he had finally felt immortality kick in. He seemed to age slower, now seventeen with the looks of a fourteen year old, an athletic build and a sense of maturity from his mother alone.

In other words, he was Jack Frost version two, with some Toothiana qualities, such as his violet eyes and his black hooded sweatshirt instead of blue. His hoodie even had similar frost patterns on it to what he remembered as being on his father's.

Tooth hit the door, no longer trying for a rhythm.

"Cal!" He mentally willed the handle to freeze as he dragged himself from bed. Tooth yelped from the sudden coldness. "Grounded!" She protested. Cal pulled his sweatshirt on and smirked. His mother couldn't catch him. He found out he _could_ fly on his tenth birthday and there was no way Tooth could keep up.

Hopping about to put his jeans on, Cal looked at his father's staff. It was leant against the wall, as usual, a treasured belonging.

He may not remember much about his father, but Cal loved how his mother's eyes would light up with that eternal love and such a happiness he hadn't seen for any other reason. Jack Frost clearly left an impression.

Tooth whacked the door with her palm with a sense of finality. "Teeth don't collect themselves, Cal!"

"I know, I know!" He pulled the door open and grinned at her. "You don't need to remind me every day, Mam." Tooth pursed her lips at him, trying to think of a suitable punishment worse than being grounded that would work with Cal.

"We leave in five." She told him, deciding to come up with a solution later. She zipped down the hall, chewing her lip. He was so much like his father, it hurt. Nearly thirteen years on and she still couldn't think of Jack without remembering that final pleading look he sent her way or the warmth he radiated instead of the familiar chill. She would never be able to forget his limp weight in her arms as she screamed her grief and broken heartedness to the Moon and back.

Pitch had been quiet since then, but it was still her goal to draw him out from under whatever bed he hid and dish out his just desserts. All the Guardians and Cal would let him perish in agony a hundred times of what Jack; making sure his final regret was his biggest mistake.

"Hey, Mam?" She pulled herself back to the present and saw Cal casually flying alongside her, his father's staff in hand. He held a snow white handkerchief and she realised she was crying.

She slowed and landed, wiping at her eyes and trying to keep everything in control. Cal stopped too and leant nervously on the staff. He wasn't _his_ staff. It was always Jack's.

Cal put his hand on her shoulder. "Mam, it's OK. We'll do something extra special tomorrow, yeah?" She nodded gratefully. He bit his lip, his eyes gleaming cheekily. "OK, how about I'll be _really_ good today?" She gave a soft laugh.

"You won't manage that." She smiled.

"Have a little faith, Mam."

"Cal, you _can't_ resist making it snow everywhere."

"I am a Frost."

"Exactly. Come on, let's get going. We don't have all day." Cal opened his mouth to point out that they technically did have all day, considering she had got him up at the _crack of dawn_.

He flew after her, hopping about occasionally and gently bumping into his mother to knock her off course. She glared at him and he knew he was encouraging her decision to increase his grounded sentence.

* * *

Cal slid the quarter under the pillow and disappeared easily out the window, silently leaping onto the roof. A trio of fairies zoomed past, waving and smiling flirtatiously at him. He grinned back at them and took off in the other direction, slipping the tooth into his belt. It was a good belt; one North had made for him. Pouches on the right held quarters and the ones on the left held teeth. Thankfully, his mother and the fairies could tell which tooth belonged to which child.

Putting on a burst of speed, he felt like visiting his father's hometown, Burgess. Jamie, more to the point, seeing as the now twenty-six year old hadn't moved away.

It didn't take him long to get there, half hour maybe. The benefits of flying.

Jamie was cleaning his shiny blue car that Cal couldn't remember the make of. A land rover or something. Whatever. Cal didn't need a car when he could fly.

He landed lightly on the roof and sat down, cross-legged. Jamie blinked up at him and then grinned.

"Hey, Cal. How are things?"

"Oh, the usual. Mam thought it was a good idea to wake me up early." Jamie looked sympathetic and amused at the same time. Cal froze his bucket of water.

"_Really_?" Jamie shook his head. "Honestly." Cal gave a sweet smile.

"Oooh, who's that?" He gestured at a petite woman kneeling on the small lawn and arranging flowers in a freshly dug flowerbed. She had headphones in and was singing quietly to herself, her blonde hair tied up in a messy bun with a headscarf keeping it mostly out of her face.

"That's Tiana."

"Light or no?"

"No light. She keeps telling me off for talking to my 'imaginary friends'." Jamie made air-quotes.

"_Imaginary_? I'm _insulted_. Well and truly _insulted_." Jamie snickered, throwing his cleaning cloth down on the ice in the bucket. "Why are you laughing? I'm upset."

"Care to prove that you exist to the world's most stubborn lady?"

"You have clearly not met my mother." Cal slid down from the car's roof and walked over to inspect Jamie's new lady-friend. "How long have you been together then?"

"Two years nearly."

"Engaged?"

"No." Jamie faded pink and Cal grinned.

"Aw, Cupid got to you. When's the big day?"

"I haven't even asked her yet!"

"Ask her then!"

"I can't just _ask_ her." Cal looked at him blankly and Jamie leant against the hood of his car. "Dear God, you're hopeless."

"You won't like me when I'm very upset." Cal tugged one of the headphones from the woman's ear and she looked around quizzically.

"You've missed a spot." She pointed at the car's left side, still covered in suds, and Cal saw she was wearing dirt splattered garden gloves.

"Um…" Jamie sent a quick glare at Cal, who was looked like all his Christmases had come at once. "I was just going to get more water."

"Oh, I don't think so." Cal grinned. "Frozen, frozen, _froooozeeeen_!" Jamie glared at him properly then, confusing his girlfriend. She followed his gaze, but obviously saw nothing.

"What are you looking at?"

"Um…" Jamie's second brilliant response of the day. She sighed irritably, pulling her gloves off rather harshly and stomping to her feet.

"If it's another _friend_ of yours, I'm going in for a glass of red. _You_ can finish that car _and_ plant my roses before you even _think_ about coming in." She sashayed inside, closing the door firmly behind her.

"_Cal_!" Cal was hysterical with laughter.

"Somebody's in the dog house!" He sang teasingly.

"Is there any way you can make her believe?" Cal pretended to contemplate this question, leaning on his father's staff.

"How do you feel about the world's most extreme air conditioning?" He asked innocently.

"Ugh!" Jamie threw his hands up and stomped inside with his bucket for a change of water. Cal followed effortlessly, slipping inside and seeing Tiana curled on the sofa with some sort of magazine and that glass of red.

"You didn't answer my question!" He reminded his friend, passing his hand through her head and trying to read the magazine upside down. Something about somebody called Jordan. She looked like a cross between an orange, a trout and a Barbie doll. "Tiana. Hey, Tiana. Somebody's in your house. And he's drop dead gorgeous."

"Jamie, close the door!"

"I did!"

"Why is it cold in here then?"

"I don't know!" Cal laughed maniacally and bounced to the kitchen, resting Jack's staff against the fridge. Jamie was boiling the kettle, the bucket in the sink. "Can't you unfreeze this?" He hissed.

"I'm hurt. Truly. I can't _unfreeze_ things! I'm a Frost! And I'm upset!"

"No, don't!" Jamie tried to grab Cal, but he was faster and lighter, practically skipping into the rectangular and nicely, modern living room and swishing his father's staff through the air.

Tiana screamed, scrambling up and throwing aside the contents in her hands. Jamie rushed from the kitchen and grabbed her by the arms, saving her from toppling over the sofa backwards.

"It's… it's... it's _snowing_!"

"Yes." Jamie said quietly.

"_In our living room_!"

"Yes."

"_Why is it snowing in our living room_?"

"Well… remember I told you about Jack Frost?"

"Oh God…" She sank to the sofa, hands in her hair and as white as a sheet.

"He had a son… with the Tooth Fairy and now that son is… in our living room and making it snow because you don't believe in him." Jamie said the last bit in a rush, biting his lip and trying not to look too nervous.

For extra measure, Cal conjured up a tap dancing snowman with a top hat and cane.

Tiana fainted.

"Nice one, Cal!"

"You're _definitely_ in the dog house now." Jamie turned to glare at him, but Cal had moved on to walking across the ceiling, as Cal does.

"Can you at least make it stop snowing?"

"Will you stop _insulting_ me? I'm even worse when I'm very _very_ upset." The snow seemed to get heavier and the snowman gained a dance partner. "How come I've never met Tiana before?"

"There are things called _visits_. You should try them." Jamie lifted Tiana into his arms and carried her from the room, leaving Cal to inspect the red wine stain on their cream sofa. That was _so_ not coming out.

Jamie returned, making a face at the spoiled sofa. "Why are you here anyway?"

"I'm trying out this _visit_ thing." He smacked the butt of the staff to the floor. The snow stopped falling and the two snowmen crumbled into ice cubes. "I don't like it very much."

"Considering there's no-one here to torment now." Cal's eyes suddenly sparked with a mischievous gleam. "No." Jamie held his hand up. "Don't you even think about it, Cal."

"I wasn't going to annoy you. You're boring. I think Burgess needs to _chill_." He flew out the door before Jamie could say otherwise.

Snow here, snow there and a touch of snow of in that old man's garden.

Lovely.

By the time Cal had covered Burgess in snow and a dozen tooth fairies came by to take his belt back to his mother and the time it took to get back to Jamie's, Tiana was awake and scrubbing the wine stain from the sofa. Jamie had finished cleaning the car and planting the flowers, but nobody would know that with two feet's worth of snow over everything.

"Stupid, stupid, _stupid_… Why can't he see that they're not real?" Tiana grumbled to herself. Stubborn indeed.

Cal glanced about the room, considering what he could use to change her mind. The more lights the better, really.

He picked up an expensive looking vase full of red roses. Fake red roses. Mother Nature wouldn't approve. He winced. She wouldn't approve of him freezing more plants, but hey. Frost was his name and frost was his game.

Tiana gave a sharp intake of air and Cal looked back. She had stood up to return to the kitchen for more cleaning supplies when she saw the floating vase. Cal carefully set it down and plucked a rose from it. Frost crept over the fake stem and blanketed the petals, perfectly frosted by the time he reached her. He waved it in her face, watching the colour drain away.

"Jamie!" He called. "I'm _baaack_!" Jamie bustled in seconds later and Cal threw the frozen rose at him. "She needs a bottle of bubbly and quick."

"J-J-J…" She stuttered.

"And maybe a psychiatrist." Cal added. Jamie glowered at him and moved forward to console his girlfriend.

Cal decided to give himself a tour of the place, rearranging a few things and swapping paint cans about as he didn't agree with the colour coordination. Black, blue and white? No. Green, pink and orange? Much better.

He froze the hallway floor and skated about, knocking pictures askew and frosting the glass in them. He drew smiley faces over every single real face in them.

Jamie came out to investigate what he was doing and nearly blew a gasket at the state of his recently decorated hallway. Cal suggested fire. Jamie considered _fire_.

"Look, she's going to give it a go, but she might be a bit tipsy. Half a bottle already…"

"I have that effect on people."

"You don't say." Cal followed Jamie back to the living room. Tiana was curled up at the very end of the sofa, as if it would dissolve into ice and tap dancing snow men beneath her. Her eyes were wide, flicking about as she gulped from a glass of red wine and poured herself another. "Tiana?" Jamie called softly. Her eyes blazed in his direction.

"Am I going mad?"

"No." Jamie assured.

"Everyone's mad." Cal said at the same time. Tiana didn't hear him. "If I float through her, do you reckon she'll notice?" Jamie ignored him so Cal froze the back of his T-shirt. Jamie gave a startled exclamation at the sudden coldness biting his back.

"Dammit, Cal!"

"Love you too, bud."

"Cal…" Tiana repeated distantly. "You said… this… _Cal_… was a son of… who?"

"Jack Frost and the Tooth Fairy."

"But they're not real." She squeaked.

"Oh, we're real." Cal confirmed, pacing the living room with his father's staff across his shoulders. She pulled herself another glass of wine. "You might want to take the bottle from her. She might throw it at you."

"Good point." Jamie padded forward, rubbing the ice from the back of his T-shirt. He removed the bottle of wine from her hands and threw it to Cal. He caught it and sniffed at the contents, wrinkling his nose distastefully. He hated alcohol of any form. Why humans wanted to drink this stuff, he'd never know.

Jamie went on to explain all about the Guardians, his eyes brightening with a childish excitement as he did so. Cal left the room when Jamie started talking about his father, only returning when he thought their master bedroom looked very nice in Artic colours.

"And we haven't heard from Pitch since." He finished nearly an hour later. Cal offered him a glass of water with some of his ice-cubes from earlier.

"So… they're real?"

"Yup."

"But I can't see them."

"Not unless you believe in them." She hesitated and then tilted her head to the side, opening her mouth to ask him a question. "No, I'm not insane. This is all real and, if you keep an open mind and trust me, I can prove it." Cal cleared his throat pointedly. "Well, Cal can prove it."

"Is Cal here?" She whispered, her eyes widening again. "Where?" Jamie pointed at Cal, who was balanced on top of the staff and juggling snowballs. "I can't see him."

"If he made it snow, would you promise not to freak out? I mean, look out the window." She sat up and peered over the back of the sofa, paling some more at the now three foot of snow outside. Cal threw up a snowball and it exploded, sending out a fine dusting of snowflakes. He twisted a snowflake in his fingers and then let it tumble through the air and splash against her nose. Blue sparkles flitted across her eyes and she furrowed her brow, raising her hands to catch the snowflakes spiralling slowly and gracefully from her ceiling.

A small smile gradually appeared and she tried to catch a snowflake on her tongue.

Her gaze travelled about the room, passing over Cal and then doing a double take back to him.

"He's there!"

"Hey." Cal waved casually.

"How does he not fall off?" She got up and ventured off, her earlier fear replaced by an amazed curiosity. Cal leapt down from where he was balanced and kicked up his father's staff, catching it expertly. "Everything Jamie said then- that's real?"

"Yup."

"Even the bit about your parents?" He nodded and she looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry about your dad. I know what it's like. My dad died doing his job."

"His job?"

"Police officer." She elaborated, her eyes tearing up. Cal decided to change the subject.

"See how easily you're talking to somebody who's only just come into existence?" Jamie stopped at Tiana's side and put his arm about her as she smiled up at the ceiling.

"Thank you." He mouthed. Cal grinned.

* * *

**This is more of a filler chapter, although I did have the idea of Cal going to annoy- um, **_**visit**_** Jamie for a bit. Jamie was either eight or ten in the movie, according to the ROTG Wiki, so I made him nine in the movie 'cos it's in the middle and now he's twenty-six or whatever.**


	8. Chapter 8

**To bookaholic2000- I'm really trying with Cal! I want him to be as Jack-Frosty as possible… maybe with a little bit of Tooth thrown in, but I don't want to make original characters too OC. Tooth probably just hits them- or sends in her little Frost-obsessed fairy minions. Either way, she handles it :D I was a bit wary about bringing Pitch back, but he's the 'bad guy', but I **_**think**_** it's working OK? Ahahaha, cliffy! My speciality *bows***

**I watched the Ender's Game today! Oh my gods, that's WAY better than I thought it'd be! :O**

* * *

Cal left Jamie and Tiana later that night, full of cookies and glasses of milk. He had even stopped off at some point during the day to pick up a spare tooth brush and toothpaste just to appease his mother should she quiz him for eating sugary foods all day.

Instead of flying at rocket speeds back to the Tooth Palace, he took a leisurely flight home, occasionally jumping from rooftop to rooftop and freezing a few towns and villages along the way. He was out so long; he even got to see Sandy out and about on his night-time dream spread.

"Hey, Sandy." Cal grinned, alighting on Sandy's dream cloud. "Anything good?" Cal passed his hand through a nearby dream thread and watched happily as a little family of rabbits bounced around him. "Aw, this is too fluffy!" Cal sulked. Sandy rolled his hands over each other and another dream tendril circled about Cal. He poked it and this one was one much more suitable to him.

Three silhouettes made from golden dream sand danced about each other. Cal smiled as his father whirled up a flurry of snowballs and chased Tooth and young Cal with them. Their laughter, echoing slightly from the dream/memory, reached Cal's ears and he grinned at Sandy gratefully.

The dream dissolved and Sandy shot Cal a pointed look. "I know, I know. I should get home or Mam will kill me." Sandy nodded in agreement, smiling knowingly. Cal waved bye and took off again, leaving a gentle brush of snowflakes to dot Sandy.

He was just crossing into the border into his mother's home country when he was knocked sideways by a dark figure. He crashed heavily into a stone wall, losing his grip on his father's staff through shock.

Despairing, he scrambled for it, but that shadow was back, retrieving it and vanishing just as quickly into the shadows. Cal jumped to the roof and ran after him. "Hey!" He called, seeing brief glimpses of this mysterious figure.

Ice sparks fluttered from the staff as they rounded the corner. Cal leapt straight from the roof, landing noiselessly on the ground eight stories below. He called for the figure again, sprinting after them as fast as he could.

Cal turned the corner as well and was thrown back by a sudden gust of wind. He slammed into a dumpster, disturbing a black cat that streaked off, hissing and complaining. Spots danced in his vision, but he pushed himself to his feet. He stumbled into a run, determined to get that staff back.

He reached the end of the alley, squinting into the sudden, roiling darkness. Something swiped his legs from under him and then there was a pressure on his chest- somebody's foot- combined with the crook of the staff at his throat.

The stress on his ribs increased and he struggled to draw breath or free himself. Desperately searching the darkness, he couldn't see past his attacker's lower legs and that was only for the dull blue light emitting from his father's staff.

Then they were gone, a shower of icy sparks raining down on Cal. Moonlight sliced through the darkness and it retreated sharply, practically hissing at this burst of light.

Cal jumped into flight again, managing to the edge of the roof before he started falling. He clung to the ledge and saw the thief flying at speeds even he hadn't achieved.

And they were heading straight for Tooth Palace.

Pulling himself up, Cal massaged his ribs and glanced pleadingly at the Moon. "What do I do? Why can't I fly? Who was that?"

_Help your mother, child_. The wind dragged at him and he was suddenly in the air again. _Quickly, I cannot hold you long._

Cal, with the Moon's help, willed himself to catch up with the offender.

He reached Tooth Palace a minute later, dropping ungracefully to the ground and darting about the halls in search of his mother. "Mam!" He called repeatedly. "Mam, where are you?!"

There was a distant hum and then what seemed like all the tooth fairies zipped around the corner, panic ushering them forward. Baby Tooth and some of her sisters crowded Cal as the others flew outside. "Where's Mam?" Baby Tooth pointed down the hall and squeaked at him. Cal followed her down the hall, her sisters joining the others.

Tooth was rushing about; her wings moving so fast, Cal couldn't see them. She was calling her fairies by name and searching everywhere to find them. Cal was just about to call for her when movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He changed direction as Baby Tooth descended to reassure Tooth.

Cal crawled up several ledges hurriedly, reaching one that sat about twenty feet up with a good view of the central area and Tooth. They still had his father's staff and looked ready to use it, but Cal wasn't going to let his mother get hurt.

He ran and tackled them, falling the twenty feet. Tooth screamed his name, but he barely noticed, trying to wrestle the staff from his opponent.

They crashed into a broad column and collapsed to the ground. Cal was kicked harshly away, the staff snatched from his possession once again. Pushing himself up, Cal glared at the attacker as they stepped back into the shadows. "Who are you?" He demanded, positioning himself between them and his mother. "What do you want?"

Instead of answers, he got a body slam from a mass of writhing black sand. His back struck another column, large cracks sounding across the support. He scrambled at the sand, but it simply danced about his fingers, biting into his skin and inducing sheer terror. He couldn't see or hear his mother, feeling only pain and panic. Sand clogged his airway and he couldn't breathe. Images, horrible images, splashed across his mind; Pitch and his mystery accomplice cornering Tooth and Baby Tooth.

_No_…

He fought against the sand, but it was like trying to hold onto water. His lungs screamed at him to breathe, but when he tried, he inhaled thick wads of sand.

Then it was gone. He fell to the ground, landing on all fours, coughing and shuddering as he inhaled deeply and spat out the dark sand. A squeak in his ear and warm hands on his shoulders bought his senses around and he was drawn back to his mother. Her lip was bleeding and, beneath the worry, she was angry.

"Cal…" Relief washed away the worry and she helped him to his feet.

"Mam… Are you OK?" She waved it away and turned back to square up to Pitch and his new friend. Cal did likewise, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his mother. Baby Tooth floated between them, clearly squeaking insults.

Pitch smiled at them, amused.

"I would like you to meet a friend of mine." He turned and looked back into the shadows. "Don't be shy." He urged, a sick form of kindness giving his tone a malicious and victorious tone.

The fight left them as Pitch's friend stepped from the darkness, twirling the staff and leaning against it; so relaxed, so _accustomed_.

Jet black hair and cold grey eyes, but everything else was the same.

Jack Frost was back and he was back with a vengeance.

* * *

**Oh my gods, this was **_**so**_** much better in my head. **


	9. Chapter 9

**To Awesome as Annabeth- that's an excellent point and I hadn't thought of that, but Cal did go around doing his father's job as best he could, so I don't think so? I don't know… Oh my gods, I'm so excited to write the next few chapters- it was all there in my head this morning and I wrote most it down in note form so I'm just hoping I can get it right! What do you think ambrosia would taste like for us? Mine would probably be chocolate or something, but what about you? I want to be a demigod just to find out now… And imagination is the best!**

* * *

Tooth choked on a sob and it was that split second distraction that whisked Jack into attacking them. Cal lunged forward and met him head on, but his father was stronger than him, physically and magically. With a simple wave of his staff, he sent Cal flying on a jet of icy wind. Pitch joined the rally and batted Cal further away with a backhand motion and a stream of his power.

Cal's arms shook as he pushed himself up from hitting the floor hard. His head spun insanely fast, but he forced himself to stand. His vision cleared momentarily to see Jack layering the ice thick on his mother's wings and snatching her by the arm, dragging her up with him and flying out. Pitch dissolved into the shadows after sending Cal a triumphant sneer. Cal rushed to intercept, but he couldn't fly.

Jack stopped and looked down, his arm around Tooth's waist as she struggled against him. That memorable trademark smirk appeared, but there was no cheekiness about, just a cold, maliciousness.

Clanging the staff against the wall, ice ruptured across the walls, covering everything in seconds. Ice and snow slid across the floor and Jack disappeared, taking Tooth with him.

"Mam!" Cal shouted. He tried to summon a wind to carry him after his father, but nothing happened.

He ran out, his father's power following him at speeds even Cal couldn't run at.

Jack was freezing the Tooth Palace; inside and out, top to bottom. It was all ice within a minute.

Cal collided with Sandy, tripping over the smaller man and landing heavily on his back for the millionth time that night. "Sandy!" He exclaimed, his hopes rising. "Dad's back, but something's wrong and he's working with Pitch! He's taken Mam and-" Sandy motioned with his hands for Cal to calm down. Cal tried, but 'calm' wasn't on his mind right now. His main concern was his mother.

They arrived outside minutes later to see that not only had the Tooth Palace been frozen completely, but the winter was blanketing its home country as well, shooting out in all directions and lacing everything heavily with snow, ice and dangerously low temperatures. There was a snow day and then there was a snow _oblivion_.

Sandy inspected their surroundings, frowning. He looked at Cal again, an image of Jack Frost appearing above his head. Then a gravestone. Cal sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know, I know, but I swear on the Moon he was here and with Pitch. I… I can't do this…" He gestured at the bitter white smothering the usual hot country. "And he took his staff back." Sandy's shoulders dropped and he made a golden maelstrom for them to stand on.

Cal sat down before he fell down. "Where are we going?" North's silhouette appeared above Sandy's head. "What about Mam? We should go after them!"

_And go where?_ Sandy's look seemed to imply. Cal drew his knees to his chest, wishing for once in his life he could do something without the aid of his father's staff.

He put his head in his hands and remained quiet for the rest of the journey. He had never been so quiet, not even in his sleep.

Sandy poked him once they arrived. Cal had major pins and needles in his lower legs from sitting still so long and he looked up blearily. The stars glittered back easily and the Moon seemed brighter, as if trying to reassure him.

Stumbling down from their dream-sand cloud, Cal looked up at the ever-impressive and towering workshop. Normally, he was excited to be here, but he barely noticed right this second. If Pitch and Jack had his mother, what were they doing to her?

* * *

Tooth's shoulder hit the hard floor and she glared up at them defiantly, ignoring the hope, grief and despair welling in her chest at the sight of Jack. He had bound her wrists together behind her back after she had hit him in the stomach in an attempt to escape.

Jack's skills had certainly improved. They had arrived a few long moments ago at a seemingly impenetrable ice fortress set deep in the Atlantic Ocean. It made North's workshop and her palace look like a child's craftsmanship.

Directing her attention to Pitch, she demanded to know how Jack was back.

"Oh, he never left." Pitch smirked. He held his hand up and displayed a menacing tendril of dark sand about his fingers. "You all thought he was dead and yes, to some extent, he was. You set him off in that boat and I picked him up as soon as he was out of sight."

"You… You…" Tooth didn't have a good enough insult, anger bringing a scarlet veil over her eyes. She put her feet beneath her and jumped up, shoulder-slamming the nightmare king. Jack's cold fingers closed around her upper arm and dragged her back. His eyes glittered ominously as he held her pinned to the wall and held the curl of his staff to her throat.

"Come now, Jack. Where are your manners?" Pitch rolled his shoulders and cricked his neck. "She's a lady; we must treat her as such." He waved his hands and she saw a bed of dark sand materialise in the corner.

Jack let her go, lowering his staff a fraction and watching her warily. _Did he not recognise her_?

"Jack…" She felt parched and stepped towards him, straining against her binds. He stepped away, following Pitch as they left the room. "What happened to you?" She questioned his retreating back. He stopped abruptly and clenched his fists.

Anger had never been an emotion Jack had thrown her way and she learnt it was not something she liked at all. Bunny angry was one thing, Sandy angry another… but Jack angry?

"You should know." He spat, looking her up and down with a look of disgust. He stormed out, ice sparks showering against the floor. Pitch smirked at her again and then closed the door with a heavy, finalising thud.

* * *

"And then he took Mam and we don't know where." Cal finished, hiding his shaking hands in the pocket of his hoodie. North contemplated the pair of them for a moment and then turned to his waiting yetis, barking orders in Russian.

"It sound like Pitch to do this." He muttered, drawing a sword and studying it curiously. "We must act quickly. Sandy, you look for Tooth. Cal, gather up the fairies and-"

"I can't fly." Cal reminded him, irate tinging his tone. North frowned, scratching at his chin.

"Your mother talks with fairies," He flicked his fingers away from his forehead. "With mind. Do you not do that?"

"I don't know. Any power I have got is from Dad and… limited now."

"You are stronger with his staff." North finished. Cal nodded. "Maybe you are able to contact with fairies with mind then. Try it!" He grinned eagerly. Cal started shaking his head, running a hand through his hair, but he could see where North was coming from. Without the enhancement of his father's staff, maybe Cal could focus on if he had gotten anything from his mother instead.

North ushered him up the stairs and into his office, closing the door and leaving Cal alone to think.

Sinking into the high back chair behind the desk, Cal grumbled a series of curses his mother would have him wash his mouth out for. How was he supposed to know if he could talk to fairies telepathically? He hadn't even known his mother could until that point.

Closing his eyes, he thought of the fairies with their persistent chirping and the frequent swooning over him. He was forever finding fairies hidden in his room or trying to sneak in with their faze-through-walls abilities.

Panic flitted in his chest, hollow and detached in a way- not his panic. An image of Baby Tooth burst behind his eyes and startled him into sitting upright. His breath caught in his throat as the panic hitched it.

The door slammed open, startling him even more. North grabbed his coat from the coat stand and slung it on, ordering Cal to his feet.

"What-? What's the matter?"

"Trouble in warren." North blustered, pulling his swords from the cupboard and setting them in his belt. "Come on!" Cal vaulted the desk and ran after North. "Sandy is going on ahead. We take sleigh!" North declared.

Yetis were scrambling about to prepare the sleigh, but North shooed them away and jumped in. Cal leapt on the back and North kick-started the reindeers into their exhilarating run of the complex and dangerous ice-tunnels.

This part never failed to cheer Cal up, even if it was just a little bit this time.

* * *

Bunny was racing about his warren, inspecting eggs and painting decorations when he thought now was a good time for a carrot.

Settling on a ledge, he watched his life's work roll splendidly before him, a well-oiled machine.

He was on his fourth carrot when a chill ruffled his fur and laughter echoed about the tunnels, cold and sarcastic.

Jumping to his feet, he drew his boomerangs, searching everything with his senses. Bunny glared into the shadows at the top of the warren when a faint crackling filled his left ear.

Standing ready to fight, he didn't see anything wrong at first, but then he recognised that his colouring flowers were shrivelling from the frost strangling their petals.

"No…" He rushed to them, but it was too late to do anything, even if he could. The cold had seeped down their stems and was leaking across the grass, covering everything and anything here.

Jack dropped from the ceiling, ready to counter any of Bunny's attacks.

"Knock knock." He grinned devilishly.

"You… you're supposed to be dead!"

"I've heard that a lot." Jack shrugged. He swung his staff out and his skill covering Bunny's warren already was suddenly faster, creating thicker layers with sharp edges protruding from every curve and bump.

Bunny charged his old friend, letting a boomerang fly and throwing smoke eggs at Jack's face.

Jack caught the boomerang in the curve of his staff and threw it aside, freezing the bombs with a flick of his fingers before they even had the chance to explode. He ducked Bunny's punch, hooking the staff about his legs and knocking him to the ground easily and jumping on his chest to pin him there. Bunny pushed on Jack's staff, trying to flip the other Guardian off, but it was no use. There was a new strength to Jack, something uncharacteristic and foreboding.

A rainbow vortex exploded to their right and Jack twisted away, placing a coating of ice over Bunny and pinning him to the rapidly freezing ground. Bunny turned his head this way and that, seeing all his hard work, all those eggs ready for Easter, cracking and crumbling within the minus temperatures.

Cal and North appeared just as a golden lash shot down from above them, coiling around Jack's staff and stealing it from him.

Jack just laughed, rolling his hand as he faced Bunny again. The ice over him curled beneath him and pushed Bunny from the floor. "You won't win." He told them casually, as if discussing the weather.

Then he unleashed full winter fury. A blizzard erupted from his very being, snow and ice clashing together and biting into their skin. He clouted Bunny about the head with a chunk of ice with enough force to knock him straight into unconsciousness. He grabbed him by the back of the neck and threw his hand out, his staff smacking against his palm- much to Sandy's surprise- in a second.

No. They wouldn't win.

* * *

"Bunny!"

"Ugh, mate…"

"Bunny, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah, keep ya voice down…" Warm hands propped his head.

"Nothing's broken." Tooth confirmed, an ounce of relief washing in her eyes. Bunny blinked the last of the blurriness away and saw that they were in a room entirely made of ice. "What happened?"

"Uh…"

"I know about Jack." Her voice caught on his name, but she silently repeated her question with a demanding look in her eyes. Bunny sighed and explained.

"He's stronger." He said irritably. "The bloody moron is stronger. And he said something about us not winning."

"Not winning?" Tooth frowned. "Not winning what?" Bunny shrugged, rubbing the last of unconsciousness from his eyes. Tooth helped him sit up, sisterly concern brimming in her eyes.

"I'm fine." Bunny waved it off. Refusing help through sheer stubbornness, he found his feet and squinted around the semi-dark room. About fifteen paces by twenty, no windows and a single door, all made of ice. "Where are we?"

"Some… palace thing Jack's made." She rubbed warmth into her arms, her breath fogging as she sighed. "It's _huge_. You probably didn't see it on the way in, but by the moon…" She shook her head. "Did you see Cal? Is he OK?"

"I didn't seem him, chick." Her eyes shone with tears. "I'm sure he's fine though. He's a tough kid." She nodded and turned away, sitting with her back to him and her forehead to the wall.

Bunny scanned his new surroundings again.

Whatever it was Jack was on about, they would win.

But first they had to get out of here.

* * *

**This might not be much and I'm sorry if it isn't, but I'm only going by notes that I made this morning and I feel like it's not as good as what it was like in my head. I'm sorry if it's not brilliant! It is Monday! D:**


	10. Chapter 10

**To Awesome as Annabeth:**

**Chapter 8- There needs to be a second movie and quickly! That was so cool! Pitch didn't kill Jack outright- might have mentioned it somewhere- he made them think Jack was dead, waited for the funeral and *poof* got Jack back and brainwashed him into being his minion or something. PJO AND ROTG CROSSOVER! I NEED ONE! And thank you!**

**Chapter 9- Mood is a very important factor, I hadn't thought of that. If I'm happy, mint choc chip ice-cream or something, or maybe I'll just have chocolate flavour ambrosia all the time. Either way, I'm happy. Plot twists are amazing, what are you on about? ;) **

**To vivi-rose: Aren't you just lovely? :D**

* * *

North had decided that carving some toy ideas from ice would help relax him as he thought how to help his two kidnapped friends, Jack and the world.

He winced at that.

The new villainous duo had made it their mission to see the world in dark, eternal winter. Human news reports were going mad; their 'scientists' baffled about how this came about. The only ones who made any sense were the children, but they weren't being listened to. Honestly- _Jack Frost_? That was just a myth!

Elves ran around his feet, sparking his irritation further.

"Go get me some cookies!" He ordered. They scrambled into a line, saluted him and hurriedly left.

North grumbled to himself. Elves were absurd creatures- how had he even got stuck with them.

Chipping off a final bit of ice, he stepped back to admire his new handiwork. The doll jumped from its podium and danced about the desk, singing pleasantly, although it was opera. Kids didn't really like opera.

North reached to fix that problem when blinding pain exploded across the back of his head and everything went dark.

Jack stood back as North collapsed, shattering his ice project beneath his bulk and then slumping to the floor in quick succession. The Guardian of wonder was a lot heavier than the other two and Jack didn't feel up to flying nearly a hundred miles lugging this dead weight.

Not that North was dead. He was just out cold, as planned.

A yeti barged in, having heard a mysterious thud. He jolted to a halt upon seeing Jack and was about to raise the alarm when Jack cut him off, slashing the air with his staff and freezing the yeti in a heartbeat.

Gathering a snow cloud beneath North's unconscious form, he blasted the windows open with a chilly wind. Sighing, he floated up and began the hundred mile flight; North and the cloud trailing along behind him.

* * *

Bunny was trying to find a way out, having given up trying to chisel open the door after hours of fruitless work. Tooth was sitting quietly in her corner, her eyes closed and her lips moving soundlessly. Bunny had a hunch she was checking up on her fairies, glad that she had found something to do that calmed her.

He sat back on his heels, placing his paws against the ice and smiling at the cool relief.

The door was thrown open, startling him and knocking him back. Tooth gave a surprised exclamation, rising from the ground and taking a defensive stance.

A cloud floated in, deposited North and then vanished. Bunny pounced up, his anger returning at the sight of Jack's smirk.

The door swung shut before Bunny could strangle Jack, a series of clicks locking them in yet again. Bunny yelled in frustration, giving the door a solid whack for good measure.

"Bunny!" Tooth scolded. Bunny sighed, his ears drooping. Tooth's expression softened slightly towards him and she knelt next to North. "North? Can you hear me?" She called, shaking him by the shoulder. He mumbled something about cookies.

His eyes fluttered open.

"Oh!" He smiled. "Hello Tooth! And Bunny! Hello! What is meaning of party?" He laughed.

"Well then…" Bunny looked at Tooth. "Must have whacked him round the head." Tooth nodded in agreement and Bunny helped her sit the bigger man up.

North sat and hummed merrily to himself, twiddling his thumbs and taking in his new surroundings with a childish wonder. What were they going to do?

* * *

Cal knew something was wrong when he saw that there weren't any yetis on guard patrol.

Sandy landed in the entrance and they saw yetis and elves frozen everywhere. There were angry yetis, scared yetis, somewhere-in-the-middle yetis and then there were elves doing… whatever elves liked to do. It was hard to tell.

Ice cracked and creaked over the walls and they hurried to the workshop.

It was a winter wonderland, minus the wonder. Sandy shivered as a blizzard howled around them. Cal tried to deflect it, but he only added another handful of snowflakes.

An idea slammed into him, bringing dread with it. He sprinted across the hall and up the stairs two at a time.

Another yeti stood, iced in immobilization, in the doorway to North's office. Cal ducked under its outstretched arm, hope shrivelling into despair at the empty room.

North would have come to great them, but if he hadn't, he would have been working. Any work he had done was now in haphazard, ice chunks scattered over the desk and floor and the window was wide open, letting in even more Artic conditions.

"Sandy!" He yelled, rushing out and leaning over the banister. Sandy was trying to start a fire in the grate, but it was a stupid idea as everything was ice, ice and more ice.

Cal vaulted the banister, landing a yeti's head and neatly hopping down. "North's gone." Sandy looked round then, a question mark appearing above his head. Cal shrugged, studying this new wintery hellhole miserably. "What do we do now?"

He really wished he could speak Sandman. All those pictures blurring together made his brain hurt.

"Oh, now this is easy." They whirled round, Sandy summoning long lashes of dream-sand. Sat atop the globe was Jack and his new best friend.

"We thought we would have to find you, but you've come straight to us." Pitch smiled. "How thoughtful." He vanished into the shadows and Jack slid from the globe, landing on his feet and ice erupting across the floor from his drop.

"Three Guardians down. Just you now, Sandy." Jack grinned.

Cal would have given anything to help, but when he tried to control the blizzard to distract his father, he couldn't. He couldn't even bring up those snowflakes.

A cold hand clasped his shoulder and forced him round. He stood face-to-face with Pitch. The nightmare king lifted him easily from the ground, hand at his throat. Cal tried to kick him, but his foot passed right through Pitch.

Clashes and whooshes of magic furled into the air and joined the racket of the blizzard as Sandy and Jack battled it out. Sandy was a bit more defensive, not overly keen on hurting his friend even though Jack had every intention of obliterating him.

Pitch throttled Cal.

"I take it you don't know anything."

"About what?" Cal choked, pulling on Pitch's fingers to no avail.

"You." Pitch replied, as if that made everything so much clearer. "How were you born?"

"Um…" Normally, Cal didn't mind talking about himself jokingly, but the _where do babies come from_ conversation? No thanks.

Pitch shook him again, his fingers digging into his skin.

"Guardians can't have children! How were you born?!"

"How do you expect me to know?!" Cal countered angrily. Pitch ground his teeth and shot up on a column of dark sand, taking Cal with him. He drew his hand back and nightmare sand coiled about Cal tightly, a cocoon of sorts.

"Answer the question!"

"I don't know!" Pitch threw him with such a force; Cal crashed through the globe entirely and struck the floor heavily on the other side.

Pitch towered out of the shadows and hauled him to his feet sharply. He struck Cal across the cheek with his knuckles, sending Cal staggering. Pitch advanced mercilessly and kicked Cal to the ground.

Cal met Pitch's gaze defiantly. "It's not like you to lose your cool."

"My patience is wearing thin." Pitch growled.

"Why do you want to know where I come from anyway? Not thinking about parenting, are you?" Cal shook his head, but didn't get to finish his sentence as Pitch tossed him aside again, flinging him about like a rag doll.

This time he crash-landed next to Sandy and Jack, who were still locked in mortal combat. Cal kept his head down and tried to move back, but he was picked up again by Pitch's power and left to dangle dangerously close to the fight.

Sandy glanced up at him and backed up a few paces. Jack advanced just as quickly and Cal saw that there was something new about his staff- something sharp and glittering had attached itself to the crooked end. Like a scythe, but a more Jack-Frost-Pitch-Black scythe with an angry immortal wielding it and freezing everything in his path.

"You can't win!" Pitch called to Cal, lowering him a fraction. Cal was being used to encourage Sandy to retreat. He struggled to get himself free or use his powers or anything, but anything he tried was pointless.

Dark sand started gnawing into his sides and slithering over his stomach to reach up and strangle him.

Jack looked up then, frowning. He paused for a second too long, Sandy ensnaring him with a golden lash and dragging him to the ground. Jack shook his head and reengaged with the fight, but Cal had stopped. The main reason was that he couldn't breathe straight, each breath sharp and ragged. The other reason was that, just for a moment, Jack had looked worried for him.

* * *

"North, we're not at the North Pole, we're in a prison cell."

"Why?"

"Because Pitch and Jack threw us in here." Bunny grumbled, irate with explaining this so many times.

"But Jack would not hurt us!" North laughed again, placing them back at square one. Even Tooth, the patient one, was getting annoyed.

It wasn't North's fault though. That whack to the head had given him a concussion, of sorts, and he appeared forgetful with a tumble of emotions, most of them positive.

Bunny pressed his back against the wall and slid down, holding his ears tightly as if he was ready to rip them off in frustration.

"Bunny…" Tooth warned. Annoyance flared through his eyes, but he did noticeably try to calm himself. Tooth watched him for a few seconds and then twisted to examine her wings. They were still frozen, regretfully, and she could not move them at all. She had tried picking the ice off, but she had quickly learnt there was no point in doing that.

"Visitors!" North exclaimed happily, pointing at the door excitedly just as it burst open and struck the wall with a resounding thud. Tooth caught a glimpse of Jack, but was more concerned about their new roommate he threw to the floor.

"Cal!" She scrabbled to her son's side and wrapped him in her arms. He was covered in bruises and blood trickled from a split lip, his eyes half-open in delirium. She glowered at Jack, who stood triumphantly in the doorway, obviously monitoring her reaction to a beaten son. "How could you?!" She demanded.

"It wasn't all me. That one is." He tapped his cheek, indicating the large purple bruise covering Cal's. "And that one." He touched his forehead. "But the rest was Pitch."

"I don't care! You still let this happen to your own son!" Jack scoffed, shrugging it off carelessly. Tooth gritted her teeth, on her feet and tackling him in a heartbeat. He grabbed her forearm and wrestled her back, but she wasn't going to give in easily. "Your son!" She repeated, throwing as much venom into her voice as possible, tears blinding her. "Your own son and you've hurt him!" She smacked him sharply in the chest and he reeled back, losing grip on her arm.

Raising his staff, a look of murderous determination crossed his features.

"Tooth, no!" Bunny called from the cell, but she didn't listen, lunging at Jack again. He stepped back, smirking, just as a tornado of raven sand roared to life between them, hurling her back into the cell. She landed flat on her back, the force of the impact rushing the air from her lungs. She choked and tried to breathe, her head swimming.

Pitch materialised and his power died down.

"Pitiful." He sneered, pulling the door closed. Tooth ran to it, but it had shut firmly before she got a chance for further action. She screamed at the pair of them- Jack mainly- for hurting her son. Bunny pulled her away and she instantly started fighting him.

"Tooth, stop it! Think about Cal!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. Not a violent shake, but a warning one, as if trying to shake some sense into her.

Her anger dissipated instantly and she fixed her teary eyes on her son. She pushed Bunny away and dropped at his side again.

"Cal?"

"Five more minutes…" He mumbled, feebly pushing her hand away. She tucked her arm around his shoulders and sat him up. "No, it's early…"

"Open your eyes." She urged kindly. He did so, blearily, and squinted at her. For a few seconds, he did nothing but stare at her, but then he brightened.

"Mam!" He hugged her tightly. "You're OK!"

"I'm fine, Cal." She laughed, her eyes falling free as she returned his hug just as eagerly.

"I'm sorry, Mam."

"What for?"

"Should have gotten here sooner."

"Cal…" She warned, holding him at arm's length. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Yeah." Bunny chuckled in agreement. "Giving ya dad the old one-two." He shadow-boxed the air. "But it's the screaming that really gets them." He made a face at Tooth. "My ears still hurt." Cal snickered. Bunny kicked him half-heartedly, but retreated at Tooth's glower.

"No picking on her baby, remember?" Cal grinned. "Ow." His hand went to his bruised cheek and Tooth's worry instantly returned. She prodded his jaw, feeling for breakages. He squirmed and she suddenly remembered how ticklish he was.

Cal looked for a distraction as his mother got a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "What's wrong with North?" He asked, watching North as he made his hands 'talk' to each other, babbling in Russian.

"Oh… Jack hit him on the head."

"With what?"

"His staff maybe, but he's been a bit cuckoo since he woke up."

"A bit?" Tooth shot him a pointed look and Cal was instantly contrite. "Can't we help him?"

"We've tried." Cal held his hands up and Bunny pulled him to his feet. Cal stumbled to North, limping on every right step. Tooth followed him nervously, chewing her lip in worry for her son. Why was he hurt so much? What had Jack and Pitch done?

North beamed as Cal approached and he jumped to his feet, pulling Cal into a rib-breaking hug.

"It is good to see you!" He boomed happily. "Bunny and Tooth say you work with Pitch," North dropped him and shook his head profusely, "Bah! You are Jack Frost! You don't work with that _durak_!"

"Um, yeah." Cal decided to play along, massaging his ribs. He always needed more bruises. "Crazy bunch, aren't they?" North laughed heartily and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Let us get out of here!" He looked around the room again, hands on his hips as he surveyed everything. "You control ice! Get us out of here!"

"Oh, um…" Cal looked pleadingly at his mother. "My powers are gone." He mouthed. She looked startled, but North had grabbed him by the shoulder again.

"You can get us out, no?"

"Yeah, definitely! Just, um… give me a minute." North beamed at him again and sat back down. He started snoring a minute later. "Should we let him sleep?" Cal nudged North with his foot, but the Russian didn't even stir.

"What do you mean your powers are gone?!"

"I don't know! They're just… gone." His mother looked at him expectantly, mentally willing him to elaborate. "Well, Dad got the staff back and then I couldn't fly and I couldn't make it snow or anything. There was this blizzard and I couldn't do anything to get it away and-" He gasped suddenly. "Sandy! Where's Sandy?!"

"What?" Cal smacked himself on the forehead, grumbling several insults towards himself. "Cal, what happened?"

"There… was this big fight, but they got Sandy! Dad… he stabbed Sandy with the staff and just _froze_ him, but only the outside so he couldn't move and then…" He frowned. "I don't know, it's all fuzzy. I just… woke up here."

"Where is Sandy now? Do you know?" Cal shook his head.

"But I heard them talking about some special cell thing for him. A… Sandman-proof one."

"Has to be in this place somewhere then." Tooth decided grumpily.

* * *

"I'm bored now." Pitch sighed. The only problem with having Jack Frost as his partner was the constant need of something entertaining- he had the world's shortest attention span, he was _sure_ of it.

"Why don't you keep an eye on the Big Freeze?"

"Done it."

"Everywhere is frozen?"

"Well and truly." He smiled, proud of himself. "But now I'm bored."

"You could always see what the fairy knows."

"Oh yeah!" Jack didn't disappear down the hall like Pitch expected him to; staying atop his staff and looking at Pitch questioningly. "She keeps saying he's my son. I'd know something like that, right?" Pitch turned to look him in the eye.

"I'm sure you would."

"But if he is, how come I don't know how he came about?"

"Have you ever thought she's playing tricks? They're desperate and if they can get you on their side, they think you'll let them go."

"Why'd they think that?"

"Guardians." Pitch scoffed. "Always full of hope." Jack grinned in agreement. "Do you not have a fairy to question?" He flipped forward, snatching up his staff and flying from the room in a single, fluid movement.

Pitch shook his head and turned back to studying the globe in front of him. Bit by bit, lights were dying out all over the world.

Perfect.

Nothing did go together quite as well as dark and cold.

* * *

Jack bounced along the hall, examining his new fortress happily. He hadn't really intended to make it, but having seen the Guardians' palaces- or warrens- he felt the sudden urge to have one of his own. Of course, it had to be bigger and better than theirs and it most certainly was.

He was so distracted with his craftsmanship; he nearly flew past the prison cell. Backtracking, he stopped outside and eavesdropped for a moment.

"What do you mean your powers are gone?!" Tooth's voice protested.

"I don't know! They're just… gone." There was a slight pause and then Cal continued. "Well, Dad got the staff back and then I couldn't fly and I couldn't make it snow or anything. There was this blizzard and I couldn't do anything to get it away and-" He stopped abruptly, gasping. "Sandy! Where's Sandy?!"

"What?" There was a soft thud, flesh hitting flesh followed by somebody grumbling a handful of insults. "Cal, what happened?"

"There… was this big fight, but they got Sandy! Dad… he stabbed Sandy with the staff and just _froze_ him, but only the outside so he couldn't move and then…" Another pause. "I don't know, it's all fuzzy. I just… woke up here."

"Where is Sandy now? Do you know?" No, of course he didn't know.

"But I heard them talking about some special cell thing for him. A… Sandman-proof one."

"Has to be in this place somewhere then." Tooth didn't sound very happy.

Good.

Jack was going to make her even unhappier.

Booting open the door, he marched in, freezing the others in place and grabbing Tooth by the arm. She fought against him instantly, but he had learnt his lesson now.

He had ice bind her wrists and ankles together and cover her mouth to keep her quiet. Bunny and Cal struggled to free themselves to help her, but there was no point really.

Easily slinging her into a fireman's lift, he grinned at the rest of them and left, the door swinging shut behind him. Tooth resisted him anyway, but there was little she could do. He had the height and strength advantage.

He decided flying would be much quicker and leapt up. Tooth gave a muffled, disconcerted scream and stopped fighting long enough to just hold on.

She was alright a minute later, back to fighting once he landed outside one of the guest rooms that would never get used.

He dropped her on the bed made of ice- everything here was made of ice and snow- and stood back, letting her icy restrictions fall away, except her wings.

"So… a son, huh? How'd that one work?"

"I don't know." She growled. She was tense all over and Jack saw she was ready to jump up and attempt to strangle him again. He flicked his hand and icy shackles curled from her wrists to the headboard.

"Well, if you don't know, he shouldn't exist, should he?" She fumed silently. "You must know. Otherwise you wouldn't have had him."

"_We_ wouldn't have had him and no, I don't know."

"I personally think you should."

"I personally think _you_ should too."

"Why?"

"You're his dad!"

"Says who?" She coloured angrily and pulled the new restraints taut in an attempt to attack him again. "Not that I'm saying you're… promiscuous or anything, but," He paused, remembering his talk with Pitch, "but I'd know if I had a son."

"You'd also know that we're your _friends_ and _Pitch_ is the _enemy_."

"Yeah, OK." He sighed. "Anyway, how did that kid come about?"

"I. Don't. Know."

"Well, you should." And now they were back here. "You probably do, but you're doing that protective 'mam' thing." She bunched her fists and tried to break free again, her ire stirring into nuclear levels as he cruelly mimicked Cal's form of addressing her. "So, you can either tell me or," He reached into his pocket and withdrew his back-up plan, "this little one gets it."

Trapping fairies was easy- just turn them into ice-cubes with their heads sticking out and voila. Trapped fairies that were still alive. Piece of cake really.

Tooth was stunned at first and then that rage was back. He squished the fairy in warning. "It's OK. I caught about a dozen of these and they're all at risk if you don't answer the question."

"Leave my fairies alone!" Her ribs seared blindingly with pain and the fairy in his hand squeaked in pain. Her name was Emily and she was a right sweetie, a huge of fan of Jack Frost (obviously). Well, the normal Jack Frost, not this one.

"Oh, that's right. You feel their pain. Like voodoo dolls." He let the fairy's arm free and held her small wrist between his thumb and forefinger.

"Don't you dare hurt my fairies!" Tooth put all her strength into fighting against the restraints.

"I'll do it." He threatened cheerily. "I'll break her arm- and the rest of them- if you don't answer the question."

"I told you I don't know!"

"Last chance." He smiled. Tooth despaired, her fairy wriggling and peeping in fear. Both of them looked ready to cry.

"Ask the man in the moon!" She cried desperately. Jack frowned, lowering the fairy and letting her arm go. "Maybe he knows, because I don't!"

Jack contemplated her for a moment.

"Fine. But you're staying here." He let Emily go and she flew straight to Tooth, nestling in the curve of her neck and crying in relief and terror. Jack kicked up his staff and left, shutting her in another room.

"It's OK, Emily, it's OK." She mumbled reassuringly.

It wasn't OK.

It was far from OK.

* * *

**I didn't update last night, 'cos I was working on this. I think this is one of the longest chapters I've done on this story, so if it's a bit :/ I'm sorry, but I'm trying to write with the ideas that I didn't forget! **


	11. Chapter 11

**To Awesome as Annabeth- LIES! LIES, LIES, LIES! ENDER WENT OFF TO SAVE AN ENTIRE SPECIES! I really want to do a one-shot now… but I don't feel up to writing lately. I do want to write, but I want to read and then I want to do this detective game I got the other day on the DS and then this and then that and blah blah blah :P AND DO NOT CALL ME TOENAIL! My friend has gone through all the trouble of finding out what 'toenail' is in German and that is now my nickname -_- What else could I turn the staff into? It's too curved to be a spear and too long to be a sword. Scythe works nicely :D I know, I know, I really should update the other stories, but I don't really have time to sometimes and I'm writing this one! So many ideas, so little time D:**

* * *

Cal had never focused so much in his life as he had done while trying to break from the cell. His powers were well and truly gone, replaced with overwhelming despair.

He sighed, lowering his hands from the walls and smacking his forehead against it. He could feel Bunny watching him, but he didn't care, sinking to his knees and giving.

"We'll think of something, kid." Bunny tried. Cal didn't respond, staring at his hands miserably.

Why had his powers gone? Did Jack or Pitch have something to do with it? Or was it the absence of the staff? Cal had grown accustomed to using the staff to channel his powers and he hadn't been able to fly until his mother had relinquished it to him.

And where was his mother? Was she OK?

Pressing his back to the wall and sliding down into a half-sitting and half-crouching position, Cal longed to be free of this cell. He liked the wide open spaces. He wanted to free himself, the other Guardians, save his dad and stop Pitch, but hey. He wasn't a miracle worker.

But apparently, he could fall through solid walls.

He landed flat on his back in a brightly-lit, yet blissfully deserted hall. He heard Bunny shouting, but the Guardian's yells were muffled so they were barely audible.

Carefully, Cal got up and pressed his hand to the wall gingerly. He thought about freedom and his palm tingled. He stumbled forward, the pressure of the wall disappearing and he was back in the cell again.

Bunny stopped mid-yell and stared at him in astonishment. Cal had never seen that look on Bunny. _Point to me_, he thought victoriously.

Bunny pointed at him and then at the wall, stammering incoherently.

"Breathe." Cal prompted, trying not to smile at how flustered his adoptive uncle was becoming.

"_You went through the wall_!" Bunny exclaimed, throwing his hand out to indicate the wall, as if Cal didn't know where it was.

Cal beamed.

"It was so cool!" He laughed. "No idea how I did it though." Bunny stared at him again, incredulously, before turning away and shaking his head.

"No. No, no, no, _no_." North awoke with a snort then and looked around in bewilderment.

"Bunny, what is matter?" He asked, shakily getting to his feet. He put a hand to his head, swaying dangerously on the spot. Cal and Bunny jumped forward to keep him from falling over.

"I broke Bunny." Cal declared happily.

"How?" North questioned interestedly, ignoring Bunny's glower.

"I can go through walls."

"Oh! The fairies! They go through walls too!" North laughed. Cal glanced at Bunny and saw his understanding mirrored in the rabbit's eyes.

So he could faze through walls thanks to his mother.

_Was he going to turn into a fairy_?

He felt his back carefully, but no wings, thankfully.

"Do-?" Bunny started, but the door swung open again. They all looked round as Jack threw Tooth to the ground.

"Hey!" Cal protested, anger sparking.

"Cal, no!" Tooth tried to grab him, but no-one hurt his mother and got away with it, even if it was his father. He darted past her and Tooth called his name desperately, but there was no effect.

Jack raised his staff and blasted Cal in the face with a jet of wintery power.

Cal crumpled to the ground. Tooth leapt up and caught him before he cracked his head on the floor. He was already unconscious. "Cal!" She cried. Bunny rushed past her, yelling a battle cry, but the door had already closed.

Emily fluttered from her hiding place above the door, having snuck in when Jack attacked Cal. She rested on Cal's shoulder, feeling for his pulse and nodding when she found it.

Tooth held her son to her, trying to rouse him from his unconsciousness to no avail. "Oh, moon and stars!" She raged, tears of frustration and worry spilling forth. Emily looked at her imploringly, but Tooth was at a loss.

If Cal had been a fairy, she could have connected with him telepathically and woken him, but no. Of course, he had to take after his father. And even then, his powers had failed completely.

North and Bunny shared questioning looks, but voiced nothing. They could tell what Tooth was thinking, but would it work? Cal had shown one fairy power and attempted another. With the disappearance of his regular powers, had ones inherited from his mother kicked in?

"Tooth…" North started. "Maybe you _can_ help him."

"How?!" She demanded instantly, glaring up at them challengingly as her feathers bristled angrily. They both raised their hands to show that they were only trying to help and she relaxed a fraction.

"Cal… passed through the wall just before you got here."

"What?" Bunny explained and North chipped in with the fact that Cal had tried to telepathically communicate with her fairies, as she did.

The puzzle pieces started slotting together and she stared down at her son, seeing him in a new light.

Closing her eyes, she held him closer and focused, trying to engage his subconscious thoughts with her own; _Cal, come on. Wake up. We've got talking to do. Like this faze through walls thing you've got going on. _

Cal stirred feebly, but didn't wake. Tooth pushed harder, trying to imagine him as a fairy and talk to him mentally just as equally. Emily's small voice appeared too, articulating various items that drew Cal's attention- cookies, snowballs, whoopee cushions, freezing elves.

"Whoa…" She heard Bunny say, but nothing would break her concentration. Projecting her thoughts and joining Emily's tirade of Cal-approved objects, Tooth felt him fidgeting in his arms. He had never slept still- always waking up at the other end of the bed.

Cal inhaled sharply and opened his eyes.

"Cal!" Her legs were numb and cramped. How long had she sat still trying to wake him up?

"Mam!" She hugged him tightly. "My head feels like it exploded. What did I do this time?" Tooth laughed and kissed his forehead.

"How d'you know what head explosions feel like, kid?" Bunny quizzed amusedly.

"I'm an expert on these things." Cal shrugged, smiling. Tooth held him at arm's length and then realised why Bunny had said 'whoa'.

"Oh my!"

"What?"

"Your hair!" His hand shot up and he looked relieved- it was still there.

"What about it?"

"It's… changed."

"Changed?" He frowned in confusion. Tooth nodded, gingerly picking at his hair. He made a few monkey noises, but shut up at her glower.

The tips of his hair had turned varying shades of blue, green and purple; still the usual white at the roots and for most of the hair. It just faded into the iridescent hues, much like her feathers.

Cal peered around his mother and caught a distorted reflection of himself in the ice wall. He grinned and ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't know perfection could get any better." North burst into laughter and dragged Cal to his feet, crushing him in a spine-breaking hug.

"You are funny, Cal!" He chortled.

"Hey, you remember me!" Cal squirmed in North's hold, nearly two feet off the floor.

"Must have slept it off." Bunny muttered.

"North, put him down!" Tooth laughed. Emily squeaked her agreement and alighted on Cal's shoulder again once he was on the floor. "Looks like you have a new friend, Cal."

"All the fairies love me. I'm so irresistible."

"You keep telling yourself that." Tooth turned to the wall and placed her palm flat against it. She tried to pass through the wall, but found that she couldn't. "It blocks fairies." She looked back at her son. "You're not a fairy and they don't know what you can do."

"So I can leave you lot here?"

"Or you could unlock it from the outside." Tooth suggested.

"Now where's the fun in that?" His mother shot him a pointed glare. "OK, OK. Jeez, if looks could kill." He moved towards the wall, but Bunny grabbed his shoulder. "Wh-?" Bunny's ears were up and he was obviously listening for something.

"They're coming back." He told them. Seconds later, the door opened. Emily hid in Cal's hood.

"What happened to you?" Jack frowned at Cal.

"I got better." Cal smirked. Jack didn't look all that impressed, turning to Tooth.

"Going to talk yet?"

"I told you, _I don't know_." Tooth squared her shoulders and her expression was firm and defiant. Cal looked at Bunny and North like _what happened to my mother_?

"You're lying." Pitch retorted calmly.

"I swear on the Moon I'm not lying."

"Lying about what?" Bunny hissed. Tooth waved him away, determined to stare the two foes down. Cal made a mental note not to get in his mother's bad books.

Jack levelled his staff at her chest.

"Last chance." Cal stepped in front of his mother and folded his arms stubbornly. If Jack was going to freeze Tooth, he had to do it through him. "Get out of the way!"

"No."

"Now." Jack growled.

"No."

"Jack, don't hurt him." Bunny appeared and then North. "You don't want to do this."

"And what makes you so sure?"

"You were the only Guardian to die before becoming who you are. Or were." Bunny sighed. "You died to save your sister. You died to save Cal. You can't kill someone you lost your life for." Jack's grip tightened on his staff and he suddenly looked indecisive.

"Don't listen to them, Jack. Remember it was _them_ that left you abandoned and confused. It was _I _who took you in when _they_ didn't."

"We thought he was dead, you stinkin' geezer!" Bunny protested angrily. He probably would have said worse, but he restrained from curse words with Cal around. Cal was seventeen! He sometimes said his own share of swear words. Maybe Bunny was worried Tooth would string him up by his tail or chop his feet off for good luck charms.

"If we knew Jack still lived, we would have welcomed him back with open arms!" North exaggerated his point by throwing his arms out, nearly knocking Bunny's head off.

Pitch started laughing.

"They're lying, Jack."

"Pitch once described you as a neutral party; that he was going to ignore you. He offered for you to join forces with him originally and you said no. You didn't want kids to be scared of you for them to believe in you, you wanted them to believe in you for… _you_." Tooth pushed past the others and crossed her arms over her chest. Jack dropped his staff ever so slightly and Tooth attacked then with blinding fast movements.

She snatched the staff from his hands and smacked Jack's legs from beneath him. Pitch rushed forward, but she rammed the curve of it into his neck. He staggered sideways, choking for air.

Cal whistled lowly, impressed. Tooth smiled grimly at him, throwing the staff his way. He felt tension leave him at the familiarity his father's staff provided. It had been his constant companion for nearly eight years now and it was great to have it back.

Jack pushed himself up on his elbow, massaging the back of his head. He looked surprised to see Tooth towering over him smugly and that his staff was in Cal's hands.

"Ow." He mumbled. Tooth knelt next to him and curled her fingers under his chin. He furrowed his brow, but decided against fighting back.

His eyes didn't seem so grey, she thought. That looked like bits of blue in them.

"No!" Pitch threw his hand out and Jack cried out in pain, toppling back to the floor and curling into a ball on his side.

"Stop it!" Cal ordered, slicing through the air with his father's staff. Ice shot from the end, a fine horizontal layer that struck Pitch in the face. He shoved the crooked into Pitch's stomach and Bunny took over from there, judo flipping the nightmare king.

Emily reappeared from Cal's hood and pointed frantically at the open door. Cal willed the ice on his mother's wings to turn into snow and Emily gently brushed them down as quickly as she could. She shivered and landed on Tooth's shoulder, curling into the curve of her neck for warmth.

Tooth pulled Jack to his feet, putting his arm about her shoulders.

"Come on, Jack." She urged softly.

"He stays here!" Pitch argued, struggling to his feet. North was ready and waiting, landing a solid and heavy punch straight to Pitch's solar plexus.

The room was too small to fight in, so Cal demolished the entire eastern wall. Moonlight illuminated the room and Jack went rigid, his breath hitching.

Pitch's anger reached new levels. "No!" He wheezed furiously.

If he was annoyed, that was a good thing, Cal decided.

Lord of the nightmares raised his hand. "He _will_ stay here!" Jack cried out in pain again, shoving Tooth away and staggering in the opposite direction, shoulder-slamming the wall and collapsing to his knees.

Black sand snuck up his legs, coiling about his waist and snaking higher.

"No!" Tooth jumped at Pitch, but he dissolved.

Jack did too.

* * *

**I was going to finish it when Cal got knocked unconscious by Jack, but I thought that was too short of a chapter, so even more drama now! I hope it's OK! I've given up trying to remember the ideas I did have and the notes I've got are practically useless, so now we have this! **


	12. Chapter 12

**To awesome as Annabeth- I thought there was a book! I will get it; I just don't have any money at the moment, insert sad face. I don't feel like that every day, just most days. Mainly school days and that's pretty much self-explanatory. DO NOT CALL ME THAT! That's so unfair! And you're definitely going insane. It's the fangirl getting to you; it's perfectly fine to be insane. IF I DIDN'T HAVE IMAGINATION, DO YOU REALLY THINK I'D COME UP WITH ALL THESE STORIES? I feel **_**insulted**_**. That's definitely my motto! Cliff-hangers are amazing! Well, my ones are anyway, not Rick's. Rick's are mean!**

* * *

Pitch was mumbling to himself as he secured Jack in a cell in the ice fortress. He lined the whole room with nightmare sand and chained Jack to it in a similar fashion.

Away from moonlight, away from the Guardians, away from _help_.

He would not lose his biggest victory. Not now, not ever.

Jack was dazed from Pitch's way of travelling. He had not fought at all as Pitch imprisoned him, kneeling with a defeated slouch in his shoulders and his head bowed miserably.

"Don't fight the dark, Jack." Pitch shook his head. "You can't."

Jack winced as the door closed behind his… what? Accomplice? Partner in crime?

Kidnapper.

Sighing, he pulled on his restraints, but his heart wasn't in it. His thoughts kept wandering to the Guardians. And that Cal kid. Was that really his _son_?

He should know if he had a son.

Right?

An image flashed through his mind. Cal, but younger, his bright violet eyes shining up at him with adoration and excitement. He couldn't have been more than four years old, but he was tugging on Jack's sleeve; "_Hurry up, Daddy; we've got to help Mam_!"

Jack shook his head and the image faded.

OK, so that _was_ his son. It felt right, thinking it, so it must be right. Was he a good dad? Or _had_ he been a good dad?

A yawn caught him off guard and he suddenly felt very sleepy. Unable to lie down like he wanted to, he had to settle as best he could and quickly nodded off.

It was a dream. His first dream in thirteen years and he welcomed it with open arms. How long had he avoided sleep just to escape the concluding nightmares? Since buddying with Pitch, all he had had was nightmares.

"_Come on, Cal!" Jack urged. "Up!" Cal, just over a year old, shook his head stubbornly. He grabbed excitedly at a few passing fairies, his mother tutting disapprovingly from the side-lines. _

_Jack sighed and got up, walking the three feet distance his son was supposed to and gently pulled the tot to his feet. "You can do it, Cal." He let go of the infant's hands gently and backed away slowly. Cal hovered nervously, wobbling. He protested wordlessly, waving his clenched fists and unsteadying himself completely._

_Tooth darted forward and caught him before he landed heavily on his bottom. She set him on his feet and hovered above him, her hands inches from him as he tried to stay upright. He looked up at her questioningly. _

"_It's OK, Cal." She assured. "Just walk to Daddy." _

"_Eh?" He frowned. Jack knelt again, holding his hands out insistently. Cal shook his head again and held his hands up to his mother. _

"_That's unfair." Jack mumbled._

"_He just loves me more, don't you, baby?" Tooth cooed, picking him up and cuddling him. _

"_You're turning him into a mama's boy." Jack smirked. He got up and kicked his staff into his hand. Spinning his trademark tool in his hand, he conjured up a snowman. "How about this then, Cal?" The snowman grew a top hat and a cane lengthened in his hand. Then it started tap dancing. _

_Tooth landed as Cal squirmed, eager to get down and met this new creation. _

_He walked to the snowman. Of course he did. This _was_ Cal. _

The dream changed and Jack was suddenly standing on a frozen lake, a girl about eight years old stranded and panicking on cracking ice.

"_Jack!" She cried. "I'm scared." _

"_I know, I know," He assured, stepping forward and feeling the ice crack beneath his bare feet. "But you're going to be alright, you're not going to fall in. Uh, we're going to have a little fun instead." _

"_No, we're not!" She cried._

"_Would I trick you?"_

"_Yes, you always play tricks!" Jack chuckled, edging forward._

"_Not this time, I promise. I promise. You're going to be… you're going to be fine. You have to believe in me." He paused. "You wanna play a game? We're going to play hopscotch! Like we play every day. It's as easy as, ah, one." The ice cracked again, but he made a huge point of nearly falling over. She laughed. "Two. Three." He jumped to a solid bit of ice and carefully picked up a long stick with a hooked end. "Alright, now it's your turn." She looked down at her feet. "One." The ice cracked more. "That's it, that's it." Jack urged quietly. "Two." He lunged forward and hooked the curve around her waist. "Three." He threw her to a safer spot of ice, further from the middle. She looked up at him, unharmed and beaming. Jack stood, laughing his own relief. He reached for her, but then the ice was gone beneath his feet and he was suddenly submerged in icy waters._

"_Jack!" She cried. _

Darkness surrounded him and then it flashed with light. He was suddenly fighting Pitch, ice and nightmare sand rushing in all directions and causing mass mayhem.

A frightened yell echoed behind him and he saw Cal dodging one of Pitch's attacks from the corner of his eye.

Pain exploded in his shoulder and he fell back. The memory of the pain itself startled him awake.

He _had_ saved his sister. And he _had_ saved _his_ _son_.

He was a Guardian.

Raising his head groggily, he peered around the dark room and struggled against his imprisonments.

No way was Pitch keeping him here.

* * *

**Sorry, it's short. It's all I've got for tonight, so I'm sorry! **


	13. Chapter 13

**To Awesome as Annabeth- I want to read that now. Blood of Olympus doesn't come out for months! You can get books in between! And why a random Percy-Jackson-hater named Erik? Is he a real person or are you being very specific? DON'T CALL ME THAT! I'LL KILL JACK AGAIN! AND HE WON'T COME BACK THIS TIME! I figured that one out though. I was ready to shoot people this morning- one problem though… no gun. I just hate it. The lessons are boring, the teachers are stupid and there's an idiot as head of sixth form. I could go on and on, but I'd rather not. Who would I know to steal the plot lines from? In case you haven't noticed, I'm one of the most unsociable people in existence! Give me your best then. I went through two years of literal and physically hell, so bring it on. I vaguely remember the lemon mottos. Rick's cliff-hangers are the WORST. That is definitely one of your longest reviews though, thank you! And updating now, bear with!**

* * *

Cal sat on the roof and stared up at the Moon. He had spent _hours_ cooped up in a too warm room with his mother and the other Guardians, trying to come up with some fragment of a plan to rescue and revive Jack. Cal had tried to contribute, but heat threw him off track. It wasn't extremely hot in that room, but warm and stuffy, and the longer he stayed there, the more tired and cloudy-minded he felt.

He was out now though, having jumped out the window and given his mother quite a scare (putting it mildly). But he had his father's staff back and his winter spirit powers and the ability to fly had returned. His mother was going to kill him when he got home, but it had been fun!

"Manny?" He called, lowering the staff. "How can I help Dad?"

_But you have._

"I have?" Cal frowned. "How?"

_You reminded him of what he once had._ Cal opened his mouth to respond, but Manny continued. _There was little hope for him at the beginning, but by Pitch imprisoning all of you, he unknowingly started his own plan's destruction. Jack is a Guardian and nothing will change that. _

"So… Dad's Dad again?"

_Almost. _Cal didn't know if the Moon could smile, but it sounded like it. _You must free him before Pitch completes his new plan. If you are too late, we will lose Jack._

"Where is he?" Cal demanded, on his feet now.

_Pitch didn't travel far. The ice fortress is well guarded and he has nowhere else to go. _

"He's still there?" Manny didn't answer, confirming Cal's question.

Cal looked at his father's staff. With it back, he could be a true Frost again and if the whole place was made of ice…

_Jack's cell is lined with nightmare sand. You must be careful._

"I will." Cal promised. "Thank you." He took off, accidently leaving behind a layer of snow. Well, more snow. They still hadn't solved the 'snow globe' problem, as North had dubbed it. They were all silently hoping that Jack, once back to his regular self, would fix that. Cal wasn't sure how he would though- they only froze things, not the opposite. Maybe Jack had powers Cal didn't know off- the guy had been around for over three hundred years. Cal had only been around for seventeen.

* * *

Sometime later, Cal arrived at the ever-menacing winter fortress. He kept at a safe distance, concealing himself in a blizzard and hurried around it, trying to locate his father.

After nearly an hour of searching and keeping a full force blizzard howling, Cal was ready to either give up or smash the fortress into itty bitty pieces.

Then he noticed it.

The same feeble and blotted light that managed to get through the blizzard fell on the third floor wall, but one, large rectangle of wall was darker than the portions of wall around it.

What had Manny said?

Jack's cell was layered with nightmare sand.

That could be why that wall was darker.

Grinning, Cal dived and clung to jagged grooves in the wall. He raised the staff and willed a window to form. He ducked back sharply, nearly losing his grip as the demonic sand blasted out. He froze it as best he could and then the rest of it still plaguing the cell.

Jack looked up as ice crawled along his restraints. He felt the dark magic weakening and put what little strength he had left into shattering them.

He got shakily to his feet as the whole wall in front of him crumbled. The chunks fell away promptly, plummeting to the ground far below.

Cal rested lightly on the floor, a huge grin giving his eyes an excited, yet mad glow.

"Cal?" Jack choked.

"Your hair's gone white!"

"And yours is still multi-coloured."

"It's a good look. Oh! And your eyes are blue!" Cal rushed forward and suddenly hugged him tightly. "You're back! Properly this time too!" Jack was still getting over the shock that _his son was hugging him_.

"You… don't hate me?"

"No." Cal looked up at him, not even shoulder-height to Jack.

"Not even… with all the stuff I did?"

"That wasn't you." Cal insisted, meeting his gaze. He smiled. "But you can change it back, right?"

Jack marvelled at this charismatic teen. After all the bad things Jack had enforced, Cal- _his son_- still had faith in him.

He _believed_ in him.

"I'll… think of something." Jack settled with, trying to think through the stunned feeling building in his chest and sparking in his mind. Cal beamed and held the staff out to him.

Jack smiled; a true, genuine smile and he had never felt so good.

* * *

With Jack helping Cal, they flew home. They had just reached the ocean when Pitch's angered yell echoed out to them. Cal snickered to himself, seeing his father's smile take on a familiar sarcastic tilt.

On the flight home, Jack watched the extent of his 'work'. They flew over frozen country after frozen country. Cal tried to put a positive spin on things, but the more Jack saw, the more devastated he became.

How could _he_ do _this_? Snow days were great, but eternal and treacherous winter all over the world?

That was _not_ Jack Frost.

That was Pitch Black.

"Hey, Dad?" That was still weird, being called 'Dad', but it came with a warm, fuzzy feeling, if you pardon the soft-heartedness and the fact that 'warm' and 'Jack Frost' didn't go together.

Cal grinned at him. "Mam's going to be real happy to see you back to normal."

And Tooth was.

They landed at the Tooth Palace. Jack looked around nervously. "It's OK." Cal assured, leading his father down the hall to the main station.

Bunny and Sandy were still here. Both of them were painting Easter Eggs. Tooth was flitting about above them, deploying fairies and squealing excitedly at each new tooth.

"Cal!" She exclaimed, trying for a cross look as she dived to strangle him. "Where have you been?! And where's the staff?!" Her annoyance faded and she hugged him fiercely. "You said you were going for a walk! What kind of walk takes six hours?"

"A long one." **(REFERENCE) **Tooth throttled him again. Cal managed to wiggle free after a handful of seconds and glanced around.

Jack had disappeared.

"Wanna paint some eggs, ankle-biter?" Bunny called.

"I know I'm short! Leave me alone!" Cal pretended to sulk for a heartbeat and then grinned eagerly. He bounced over to the two Guardians, sat down and set to work. His painting wasn't as good as Bunny's, obviously, or even Sandy's, but still. That was _definitely _a smiley face. He was more focused on watching his mother from the corner of his eye, so his paintwork was worse than normal. Bunny, as nice as he was, didn't say anything, more amused than irritated.

Cal was just picking up another egg and painting a thin blue line on it when his mother screamed. His straight line turned into a haphazard, screw-up of a line.

Bunny and Sandy were already on their feet, armed with their respective weapons, but they were too stunned to move.

Cal stood and turned in a swift movement, trying for an angelic look.

"You…" Tooth stared at Jack, who stood nervously in the corner, hood up and his grip tight on his staff. "You're…" She stumbled into wordlessness and gaped at him.

"We broke them." Jack told Cal. As soon as the words had left his lips, Tooth squealed excitedly and shot at him. A large paw covered Cal's eyes and he missed the reunion. He later found out Bunny had saved him from watching his parents kiss- every kid's most embarrassing/worst nightmare.

When Bunny took his paw away, Tooth was squeezing the life out of Jack, calling him every non-swear word name under the sun. Jack was concealing laughter, his returning hug as loving as hers.

"Don't you _ever_ do anything so _stupid_ ever again!" Tooth ordered. Jack nodded obediently. Tooth suddenly seemed to remember something and she whirled around. "And you!" She pointed at Cal, who automatically whimpered. Bunny snickered and pushed Cal forward. "Why didn't you say you were going to get him?"

"Um…"

"And how? What did you do?!"

"Uh…"

"How-?"

"Tooth, let him speak." Jack laughed. Tooth fell quiet, glaring at Cal expectantly.

"Should we get North first?" Cal offered. Tooth's eyes widened and she zipped off again, returning seconds later to drag Jack away too. Apparently, he wasn't allowed to leave her again.

Bunny clapped Cal on the shoulder heartily and images of fireworks and other celebratory images exploded over Sandy's head.

"You did good, kid."

"Why, _Bunny_! Are you complimenting_ me_?"

"I ain't gonna say it again." Cal laughed maniacally and turned to Sandy.

"You heard that, right?" Sandy nodded eagerly. "Ha! Witness!"

"He doesn't talk." Cal opened his mouth to reply, but one glance at Sandy told them that they were stumped. Bunny gave his own triumphant laugh, play-boxing Cal victoriously. "Never challenge a rabbit, mate. You won't win."

"I thought it was never race a rabbit?"

"Whatever. You'll still get ya ass kicked."

"Nice." Cal grinned, playfully boxing along with Bunny. Sandy held up a golden card above his head, Cal's name carved into it.

* * *

**Ta da! **

**See how LOVELY I am! :D **


	14. Chapter 14

**How can he hate PJO, Awesome as Annabeth? That should be illegal! I mean, I know the movies aren't all that, but my gods! The books are AMAZING! I was partially hoping that would work, but oh well. I'm kind of used to it, despite it still being annoying. WHO ARE YOU MORE WORRIED ABOUT? TELL ME! Oh, yeah, 'cos my wardrobe leads directly to Narnia. Do you think I'd still be here if it did? Well… now you're just jumping to conclusions. I COULD write a happy ending if I wanted to, but I'm not sure how I'm going to end it yet. And Max isn't even in this story! If Erik hates PJO, why did he come up with all the ideas for them? You don't want to emotionally scar me? That's cute. I DOUBLE DARE YOU! I didn't mean to forget them! I've got a goldfish memory, remember? Wait… since when was I your biggest fan? I don't remember that one in my list of fandoms.**

* * *

"What to do with all this snow?" North mused, stroking his beard.

"We could get a really big hairdryer…" Cal started, hands out as if they would accept his idea. Jack smiled at him, but Cal's idea wasn't approved of. "Fine then." He huffed, folding his arms sulkily. "I see how it is."

"Could we not scoop it up in a big pile and put it… somewhere?" Tooth looked at them all questioningly.

"And melt it with a really big hairdryer." Cal smiled. Tooth glowered at him, a silent _not helping_!

"We could put it somewhere." Jack said, staring at something past Tooth's shoulder, his tone and looks thoughtful. Normally, a thoughtful look on Jack Frost was dangerous, but it was OK now, which made it about a thousand times weirder.

"Move it?" Cal protested. "I'm sorry, have you not seen how much there is?" He pointed at Jack. "Ant." He pointed out of the window. "Boot." **(REFERENCE)**

"Not all at once." Jack elaborated. "Bit by bit. You can help."

"Move it where though?" They all shared quizzical looks and silence reigned as they all started thinking again.

"Where's a really big space nobody lives?" Tooth asked herself under her breath.

"Space!" Cal and Jack exclaimed together, startling Tooth. Jack laughed. "Tooth, you're a genius!"

"Tell me something I don't know."

"I'm really a woman." Cal didn't know how he kept a straight face for five seconds, but the looks on their faces! _Priceless_!

Jack slowly turned away from his son, who dissolved into silent laughter. Tooth was watching her son, assuming Cal had well and truly succumbed to insanity. Bunny pulled on his ears, unsure what to do while Sandy and North stared at Cal in bewilderment.

Massaging the back of his neck, Jack contemplated this new idea.

"There's no air pressure in space." Cal chipped in. "You could get stuck up there." Jack was about to ask why Cal hadn't included himself in the space mission when he remembered Cal couldn't fly or use any wintery powers without the staff.

An idea popped into Jack's head just as Cal's face lit up enthusiastically.

"Snow powered jet packs!" Identical grins brightened their features, childish excitement flooding in. Bunny fired a baffled look their way, disapproving of this simultaneous talking.

Plans kicked off big time then. Country by country, Jack and Cal would bundle away the snow and Jack would take it into space. Using ice and snow, he would have a helmet to breathe and a jet made strongly of ice with compressed wintery air to fly back to Earth. He would direct the snow towards the sun so that it would evaporate and not plague the Solar System or atmosphere or whatever those absurd scientists worried about nowadays.

The only problem they faced was the fact that as Jack fell back to Earth, he would be surrounded by extreme heats.

Heat and Jack Frost did not mix.

"Maybe if you fly down gradually." Tooth suggested, swooping her hands down in swishing, graceful movements, like leaves falling from a tree in autumn.

"Could work." Jack smiled. "But if it doesn't, how'd you feel about a barbequed fiancée?" Tooth pursed her lips.

"Wait!" North held his hands up. "You two had no tying of knot?" He didn't seem happy with this.

"Uh…" Jack replied brilliantly.

"I'm illegitimate!"

"Cal!" Tooth scolded lightly. She sighed and looked back at North. "No, not yet."

"We will though." Jack promised. Tooth smiled gratefully at him.

"I want to be a bridesmaid!" Cal insisted. His mother groaned in defeat and buried her face in Jack's shoulder. Laughter rumbled in his chest and he looped his free arm about her shoulders.

"You're mad." He told Cal over her head.

"I learnt from the best, Dad." Cal winked cheekily at him.

* * *

Father and son started uncovering Burgess. Jamie threw snowballs and insults alike at Jack; "You bloody idiot!" Snowball. "What is wrong with you?!"

"Jamie!" Jack ducked another snowball and froze Jamie's hands together. "Calm. Down."

"Idiot!"

"I know I'm an idiot, but I'm sorting that out." Jack flicked a snowflake towards his old friend and it shattered softly against his nose. Jamie looked confused for a mere second and then started laughing. "Ooh, who's that?"

"Jamie's girlfriend." Cal replied.

"_Jamie has a girlfriend_?"

"You sound shocked." Tiana stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing her boyfriend doubled over with laughter and Jack and Cal Frost at the foot of her driveway. "Hey, Tiana."

"She sees us?"

"And she hears us too, Dad." Jack looked at him demandingly. "I made it snow in their house. A lot. And now she believes in us. But she's only seen me. And you too now!"

Jamie's laughter subsided afterwards and Jack felt it safe to let the ice around his hands fall away.

"So, anyway." Jack explained their plan to the couple.

"But the heat… when you come back down…"

"Dad's going to float down like a little pixie!"

"Are you always this mad?"

"I'm just getting warmed up." Cal smiled sweetly. Jack gave a deep, slow sigh of despair, running a hand through his hair. "I think 'warmed up' is a bad way of putting it though."

"Heat's a no-no?" Jack asked.

"Biggest no-no in existence." Cal nodded. "Next to early mornings. And public bathrooms." Jack snorted with laughter.

"He's your son." Jamie decided. "I've only just noticed. What happened to your hair?"

"I got an upgrade." Jamie just nodded, having learnt not to ask further questions when Cal gave a stupid answer. "We've got work to do, Dad. First one to make a pile wins."

"Biggest pile wins." Jack corrected.

"Wins what?"

"I don't know. Can't people just win for the sake of winning anymore?" Cal shrugged. Jack waved him on.

"Who's that?" Jamie pointed, his other arm around Tiana. Jack smirked at him before following the mentioned direction. Cal was squinting up too, a golden glow descending towards them.

"The sun's falling."

"No, that's not the sun." Jack mumbled. "That's summer."

"Oh…" Cal's shoulders slouched in defeat and he stood nervously behind his father as the golden glow touched down. It expanded and solidified, taking form of a girl about Cal's age with sunny blonde hair, sky blue eyes, an even tan and a yellow dress with a white flowery scarf tied around her waist. She emitted a warm, summery glow, but her eyes burned like the depths of hell.

"It's about time I caught you!" She raged, glaring at Jack and Cal. "You've ruined summer!"

"Cal, this is Sky Breeze. She's a bit… territorial."

"She's really hot as well." Jack looked at him, torn between confusion and laughter, while the aura about her burned to reach the fury in her eyes. "Not in that way!" Cal hastily corrected. "I mean, you would be considerably attractive if you didn't look like you're going to kill us, but I meant temperature- you're really hot temperature wise and you've got nice eyes."

"Cal, you're babbling." Jamie pointed out. Tiana and Jack had surrendered to mischievous snickers at his misfortune.

"She's scary." Cal had always pictured the summer spirit as warm and bubbly and a lover of music and dance. He had never thought she would be capable of burning him with a glare promising imminent death if he didn't shut up.

Sky opened her mouth to rant at them further, but Jack cut across.

"We're fixing it," He assured, "It'll take a while, but if we can get rid of the majority of it, maybe you could melt the rest?"

"Oh, I don't think so! I am _not_ cleaning up your mess, Frost! You've knocked my entire schedule for six, you and that blooming Pitch Black, so don't even_ think _you can come swanning back in here and make everything right again!"

"Hey!" Cal protested. "He's trying!" She turned her blazing eyes on him and Cal swore she was about to spontaneously combust.

"You stay out of it!"

"Why?" He retorted.

"_Because I will burn you otherwise_!" She exclaimed furiously. Cal and Jack winced similarly. "That's right!" She continued smugly. "You don't want to play with _this_ fire!" She burst into flame and returned to the sky in that golden orb she left it as.

"Wow." Cal felt his face. "Well, my head's still on." He looked at his father. "I never knew summer could be so… so…" He waved his hands in slow, rolling motions, struggling for a word.

"Angry?"

"That'll do." Jack just nodded.

"Come on. Work."

"Yeah, must do that before summer comes back and roasts us alive."

"She's normally quite nice. I know we don't always see eye-to-eye, but she doesn't normally try to kill people."

"How reassuring."


	15. Chapter 15

**I worked out that Tobias is born this year- first of June, right as his parents are cutting their wedding cake. Max isn't born until 15****th**** January 2016. Alvie would be 2019, but for the life of me I can't remember if I've put in his birthday anywhere. Elsie and Alokia are a couple of months younger than Max and Alvie, respectively, so they're born in the same years. Elsie would be about April, Alokia… I'll work that one out. Sage is six years younger than Alvie so that makes her born in 2025 and Charlie and the triplets are born two years later, so they're 2027. I'M WRITING FUTURISTIC STORIES AND I'VE ONLY LITERALLY JUST WORKED IT OUT!**

* * *

Tooth was watching the globe carefully, smiling every time a light came back on. She darted about, looking at one country and then another, feeling the metal plates warm beneath her fingers as her boys disposed of the ice.

They had been working solidly for about a week now and they still were, despite their exhaustion. They dropped by whenever they could, looking for food and bringing in updates. About a quarter of the world's countries were uncovered. If they did that in a week, then they could be done within a month. Although, that did depend somewhat on Cal's ice abilities. Sometimes they would be there, very feeble, and others they wouldn't be there at all.

Jack had only mentioned one other problem besides Cal's unstable powers and their fatigue. **(I used to say 'fatigue' fat-ee-goo).**

Sky Breeze.

She had taken a liking to ranting and raging at the wintery pair. She could make their job a lot easier if she helped melt the remainders of the snow, but she refused point blank to help, even if it did benefit her.

Tooth had never personally met the summer spirit, but had heard a great deal about her. From what she heard though, she was confused. Sky was supposed to be happy, warm and caring, but reports from Jack and Cal labelled her as a bit of a selfish, tempermental cow with pyromaniac traits.

Sighing, Tooth fluttered away from the globe and towards an eastern window. She had seen the sunrise many times in her eternal life, but she loved it more and more every day. It was warmth, the hope and expectations of a new day, bringing possibilities of new adventures.

She smiled to herself. _And more teeth to collect_.

The soft pinks and oranges splashed across the soft clouds and she realised she had missed this new beginning throughout the blizzard.

"Whoa! Sorry!" Angry chirps from her fairies followed. "I said I was sorry!"

"Cal, they're busy."

"So am I." Cal smiled. One fairy circled his head and then they all left. "I like this fazing through walls and ceilings thing, but it gives Dad a reason to drop me." His gaze flicked to over her shoulder and he made a face. Tooth turned back to the window and saw Jack waiting to be let in.

"Hungry?" She asked as soon as the window was open.

"Starving." Jack confirmed, sinking to the windowsill and resting his forehead against his staff.

"I say a vacation's in order." Cal literally collapsed to the floor, lying flat out on his back. A fairy zipped over and landed gently on his chest, squeaking disagreement. "Yeah, I know the world's frozen, Emily." He raised his head to look at her. "You try shifting ten tonnes of snow with indecisive ice powers and an angry candle screaming in your ear."

"Angry candle?" Jack scoffed. "More like out of control furnace."

"I'm hungry, OK? And my brain feels like mush." Emily twittered cheekily. "I'm pretty sure I have a brain, Em." The fairy shook her head and folded her small arms. Cal stared at her, formulating a reply.

She did not expect his sudden catching her in his hands.

"Cal!" Tooth scolded, flying over in a dash and gently prying her fairy from his grip. Emily shivered in her hands and sneezed, before squeaking at him irritably.

"She said mean things, Mam!" Cal argued childishly, trying to look all innocent.

"Stop it." Tooth warned. Cal didn't let up with his innocent, pleading look. Tooth wavered, but a peep from Emily pulled Tooth back to her senses and she turned away.

Jack laughed, holding out his hand as his own friendly green and blue blur burst into the room. Emily jumped up to greet Baby Tooth, earning a sneaky visit to Jack Frost.

"I feel the love." Cal lay back down again.

"I'm getting you food, aren't I?" Tooth challenged jokingly.

"Feed me and then I'll feel loved." His mother rolled her eyes at him and left.

* * *

Jack stood with Tooth later; fully fed, but still beyond extreme tiredness. Cal was getting five minutes sleep, the lucky git.

"You're doing really well." Tooth smiled at him. She floated up and her smile broadened. "I see Burgess is nice and warm."

"Ugh…" Jack made a cheeky face of disgust and drifted up to join her. "Warm. Horrible." Tooth laughed softly, sitting on the North Pole. Jack sat next to her, his arm going about her shoulders. "I miss the cold. Maybe a few regular snow days…" Tooth peered down at the lights.

"Give them time to recover, Jack."

"Kill joy."

"How's Cal doing with his powers?"

"He keeps running at walls full-pelt. Just appears randomly. Tiana tried to kill him with a feather duster."

"Tiana?"

"Jamie's girlfriend."

"_What_? _Why wasn't I told_?" She demanded. Jack rubbed at his ear, making a face. She hit his shoulder.

"Um… hard work and deadlines?" She elbowed him sharply in the ribs. "Domestic abuse."

"Shut up." She started to get up. "You have a lot of hard work to do and-" He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down, trapping her in his arms. "Jack! _Cold_!" He smiled mischievously, but loosened his hold on her and she stopped struggling away from his natural coldness.

"Tooth?"

"Yes?" He chewed his lip, looking down at his feet. "What's the matter, Jack?"

"Cal." He paused. "And Pitch." He met her gaze. "How _does_ Cal exist? And why is Pitch obsessed with knowing how?"

"I don't know, Jack."

"Do you think Manny will know?"

"Worth a shot asking him." He took her hand and, together, they flew up; Jack opening a window with a contorted breeze of wintery air. They went straight up to the roof of the Tooth Palace and sat, looking up at the Moon.

And they asked him.

* * *

Cal woke abruptly to an eerie silence. It may have been the middle of the night, but Tooth Palace was always busy. Even from his room, he could hear the fairies' wings and their bird-like way of communication, although the noises were a bit faint and muffled.

Now it was just silent.

Grumbling and rubbing sleep from his eyes, he pushed himself up and went to investigate. He felt much better with a few hours rest. How had Jack done with sleep? Admittedly, Jack did most of the work, seeing as he could fly and control his winter powers. Cal couldn't fly and had next to no Frost abilities.

Emily and Baby Tooth drew him from his thoughts, hurtling around the corner and colliding into his chest. He caught them as they tumbled back, peering at them concernedly.

"Are you two OK?" He asked as they sat up in his palms. Baby Tooth pointed frantically down the hall and squeaked that everything was frozen.

Cal wasted no time, letting them take flight and sprinting down the hall. They followed as quickly as they could, but his flight had been replaced with speed, apparently.

Dark thoughts bounced around his mind, sparking pain and worry- he feared that his father's good condition had reversed, but that wasn't the case.

By 'frozen', the two fairies meant _paused_.

Fairies filled the air, going about their tooth collecting and organizing business, but it was like somebody had pressed a button and stopped them completely.

Cal reached for one, but found he couldn't move her. "I don't understand." He looked at his two fairy friends questioningly. They shrugged, slowly floating towards him and settling on his shoulder. "It's like they're frozen in…" Feeling a weight of someone's gaze on him, he turned carefully, "Time…"

"Well done, _mon ami_."

* * *

Tooth and Jack returned from their talk with the Moon; silent as they processed new information.

"I'm even more confused now." Jack admitted. Tooth laughed half-heartedly. He glanced back up at Manny, chewing his lip. "Do we tell Cal?"

"And freak him out even more?" She shook her head. "Being an impossible baby is easy enough for him to understand."

"Only because he thinks he's some sort of miracle." She shot him a pointed look. "OK, maybe he is, but I wouldn't know." A pang of sadness clawed at his heart as he realised how much time he had missed out on with Cal. Thirteen years.

Good job they were immortal.

He hastily changed the subject, forcing a smile. "Well, work to do. Yay." He sighed. Tooth caught him in a hug and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Be careful."

"Careful is my middle name."

"Mm-hm." She hummed disbelievingly. Jack grinned at her and let her go. He jumped up and barrelled down the hall on a cushiony winter's wind, gradually making his way to his son's room.

Knocking he walked in.

"Cal, time to- where'd he go?"

* * *

**Any guesses? **

**And I saw the trailer for the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie! OH MY GODS, I WENT INTO MAJOR FANGIRL MODE! My mum had no idea what I was saying! **


	16. Chapter 16

Tooth hummed to herself as she sifted through what the Moon had told her and Jack and flew along the hall. Her fairies were coming and going, carrying teeth and quarters alike, waving and smiling at her as they passed.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until immense, fiery agony erupted in her left arm; so intense, it knocked her off course and into a column. Fairies crowded around her in a heartbeat, chattering concern.

Head spinning, Tooth staggered a few steps and silently demanded her wings to keep her aloft as her legs morphed into what felt like wet cement. A trio of fairies vanished as blindingly fast, materialising as blue and green blurs. The others formed around her and helped keep her in the air, directing her towards the main wing with a seat. Jack arrived minutes later, the three fairies trailing behind him.

"Cal's gone!" He blurted.

"And there's a fairy hurting, but I can't pinpoint which one!" He pulled her into a hug, trying to calm her down, but she could barely think through the agony pulsing through her mind and tormenting her into thinking her head would crumble into pieces.

Jack's arms tightened around her; the muffled tone of his voice soft in her ears. Whatever he said, she didn't catch it. She looked up at him groggily, tears cramping her vision and distorting everything into senseless shapes and colours. The only thing she could truly see somewhat clearly was the vibrant, icy blue of his eyes and the shock of white hair.

She got the sense of being carried and then cool air washed over her. The warm golds, pinks and oranges of her palace vanished into inky blackness dotted with bursts of white. A silver circle suddenly loomed over her and her pain ebbed away, replaced by severe drowsiness and a sense of confusion.

Jack held onto Tooth as she slipped into unconsciousness and looked up at the Moon. "What's going on?" He demanded. "Where's Cal? Why is Tooth hurting? _What's going on_?"

_Calm yourself, Jack, _Manny urged kindly, _Tooth will heal and discover her missing fairies, but you need to calm down to help Cal._

* * *

Baby Tooth punched, kicked and pecked as mercilessly as she could, but she was only a miniscule thing and her relentless attacks were barely noticeable.

And her sister was no help, but Baby Tooth could hardly blame her. Fear induced from the new partnership between Pitch Black and Father Time.

Pitch loomed from the darkness and smirked down at the two fairies as Father Time walked past. Normally, everyone imagined Father Time as an ancient man with a long white beard and a bald head. He was normally dressed in robes with a scythe and some form of watch or clock.

None of this was true.

Father Time could look any way he wanted, but his preferred appearance was that of a thirty-year-old man in a sharp business suit with a crystal white shirt, a navy blue decorated with varying designs of clocks. His shoes were so polished; Baby Tooth could see her reflection almost six feet above them. He had to be seven, eight feet easy, with a lean build and a straight back. His golden hair- _golden_ golden, not blonde- was combed back into an impeccable state, not a hair out of place. The two fairies couldn't decide the colour of his eyes as they continuously changed- blues, greens, browns and greys and every colour in between.

And he was French.

If he hadn't kidnapped them and kept them in a firm, iron grip with a malicious and unrelenting demeanour, he would have been mildly attractive. Not Jack Frost attractive, Emily decided. Not even Cal Frost attractive. Just… mildly.

Pitch rolled his hands and a small cage took shape. Father Time threw them into its depths and slammed the door shut with an unnecessary viciousness.

Baby Tooth shoulder-slammed the door out of sheer defiance, hurling insults at them. Of course, they didn't understand her exact words, but they got the picture, laughing.

"I like that one." Father Time commented. Baby Tooth kicked the door and proceeded into rattling all the bars. "Let's go and welcome our other guest."

"You'll like this one." Pitch smirked at them again and they were gone. Baby Tooth chittered angrily and stomped about the cage. Emily sat in the centre, curling herself up as small as possible and looking around with wide, fearful blue eyes.

_We'll get out, _Baby Tooth told her. Emily turned that frightened gaze to her.

_How?_ She asked, her voice trembling.

_We will_. Baby Tooth didn't have a straight answer, but she wasn't going to be kept confined.

Pitch and Time returned minutes later, dragging Cal with them. He fought them, but he was no match for the pair. Time clouted him about the head. Cal kicked him, but, like Baby Tooth's, his attacks were all in vain.

Time laughed again; a deep, melodic laugh that boomed about Pitch's new home. He threw Cal aside with a vastly superior strength. Cal stumbled and very nearly fell over, but a swish of his hands and a sudden breeze kept him upright. He faced the evil duo again, clenching his fists stubbornly.

"_Pauvre garcon_." He smiled down at Cal, who was barely taller than five foot three. "Poor boy." He translated.

Then he froze Cal.

Baby Tooth hit the bars again, screaming her defiance and rage, but Pitch simply flicked his hand and consumed the whole cage with darkness.

Emily cried.

* * *

Tooth woke up, finding that she was still in Jack's arms. She twisted at the waist and peered behind her. Jack was staring up at the sky, his lips moving soundlessly as he idly counted stars.

"Jack." His gaze shot to her and relief flooded his eyes.

"Are you OK?"

"I'm… fine. I think." She flexed her fingers, studying her hands curiously. No pain in her arm or her head, but things did seem a bit… darker. "Can you turn a light on?" She asked. Jack shifted and turned the knob on a gas lamp on her bedside table. The room brightened about them instantly, but it wasn't as bright as Tooth though it should have been. Her bed sheets were definitely light blue, not navy.

She looked at Jack again, seeing that his eyes were a darker shade of blue as well, his hair silver instead of white.

"Are you sure you're OK?"

"Everything's darker."

"Darker?" He glanced at the light, frowning in confusion, and then back at her. She rubbed at her eyes.

"My fairies." She recalled, dread slicing through her with an icy blow. "There are two missing. Baby Tooth and Emily." When had she decided that?

Jack looked annoyed that his best friend and Cal's had gone AWOL, but worry was the main feature in his eyes. "Any luck with Cal?" She asked.

"No…" He sighed. "But I did find something interesting. Manny said to ask the fairies the time because he couldn't outright tell me for some reason. One thinks it's nearly dawn."

"But it is."

"Of yesterday."

"_What_?"

"Another one thought it was an hour before dawn and another thought it was already dawn and nearing morning break."

"Moon and stars…" Tooth let that all sink in, puzzling over it with a ferocity that bought about the return of her headache.

Then it struck her, quick and blasting like lightning. She turned to look at him again. "Father Time." She mumbled. Jack's brow furrowed. "Father Time has my fairies."

"And Cal?"

"He's working with Pitch."

"How do you know?"

"How else could he get about? There is no way Father Time could sneak in here."

"He could just pause everything." She shook her head.

"To pause something as big as Tooth Palace and everyone in it would take at least three hours. That's why one fairy thought it was dawn and another thought it was nearly morning break." She bit her lip. "He'd have to get really close and the only one who can get under any of our radars is Pitch. I mean, we can't stop shadows, can we?"

"We could just freeze the sun."

"Jack…"

"And blow up all the lights."

"_Jack_…"

"I said that out loud?" She shot him a 'no duh' look. He just nodded. "Could help though."

"And you're going to freeze the sun? It's five thousand degrees, _remember_?"

"Ew… heat." He made a face. Tooth hit his shoulder. "Right, right, I'm focusing. If Pitch and Time are working together, where would they be?"

"Well, the ice fortress is no good now you've broken it." He gave a proud smirk. "So, maybe they're at Time's place."

"And where's that?"

"Everywhere."

"Right?"

"Time's everywhere, Jack. You can't just narrow it down to one place."

"So… how do we get there?"

"Um…" And that was the one thing Tooth didn't know.

Turning to look out of the window, she wondered if the other Guardians would be able to help.


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm so proud of my little sister- she's six next month, but she has spent half an hour helping me get over writer's block and coming up with her own little ideas! I gave her a writing book of her own and she was so excited about it! I'M SO HAPPY! I've got the best little sister EVER! **

**But sorry for not updating properly lately- as I said, I had major writer's block, but it's all better now! And I also have a bit of a future chapter to go up as well- I'm not sure if it's amazing, but I've got it!**

* * *

"Time Palace, Time Palace, Time Palace…" Bunny muttered repeatedly, pacing the room as he painted an egg. North was stroking his beard thoughtfully, eating his way steadily through a packet of cookies. Sandy, having learnt from Cal, was sat on the ceiling. Tooth stood nervously in the centre of the room, focusing desperately on her two missing fairies and equally absent son. Jack was walking circles around her, making it snow in his anxiousness.

"Jack…" She warned lightly. He startled and looked up at her. She held her hand out, accumulating snowflakes on her palm. He glanced up at the ceiling, confused. With a wave of his hand, winter air blustered about and cleared the room of falling snow.

"Ha!" North exclaimed suddenly, startling them all. "I has very good idea!"

"What is it?" Bunny demanded eagerly.

"Time! It is everywhere, no?" They all nodded in agreement. "What if we think of time as one moment? Of Time Palace?" The other Guardians shared perplexed looks. Tooth frowned at them all, swivelled on her heel and zipped out. Jack called after her and followed, a cold breeze dancing over her and indicating his presence.

She stopped outside, a field stretching as far as the eye could see. It was a bare field, all the crops from the harvest spoiled by Jack's previously eternal winter.

Closing her eyes, she mentally pictured Father Time and imagined what sort of palace he would possess. She chanted _Time Palace_ repetitively in her thoughts, focusing so intently, it bought about the first embers of a headache.

Jack's hand gripped hers, frost stretching along her forearm and encouraging her to open her eyes. She made to glance at Jack, but there was something much more pressing in front of her.

Towering over them in sheer volumes of mirage was a palace. Glass, French décor and simplistic colours covered every square inch- bronzes, subtle pinks and dull oranges. A large clock centred itself over the ginormous double mahogany doors.

Jack started forward first, not letting go of her hand. He nudged the door with his shoulder and pushed his weight against it. Tooth helped when the door failed to move sufficiently. Together, they managed a foot's gap. Jack slipped in first and checked their new surroundings cautiously before waving her in.

Trust him to jump in without a plan.

They flew soundlessly down the hall. It stretched for what felt like forever, with no turn-offs or doors. A never-ending imprisonment of blandness.

Jack slowed his flight and hovered. There couldn't be a masterpiece of a castle that contained a hallway that was longer than physically possible. He turned back to the door, to see that it had vanished.

"Tooth!" He hissed, pointing. She gave a shocked gasp, her feathers bristling as she realised how trapped they now were. Jack pulled her closer as she regained her composure. He studied the corridor slowly and carefully, scrutinizing every nook and cranny.

He searched it at least thrice with eyes alone, but that door had definitely _not_ been there earlier. He nudged Tooth and pointed it out. It was nowhere as impressive as the first set of doors. It was a single, wooden door painted white with scuffs and chips all over it. The handle was rusted and layered with dust.

Jack shot her an enquiring look. It was their only way forward, unless they felt up to flying down a continuous blank corridor.

The handle was grimy in his fingers, but he pushed the door open all the same, uncovering nothing but darkness. They stepped in judiciously together only for the floor to vanish beneath them.

Flying was obvious, but as they plunged through obscurity and a potent stench of decay and museums, they lost all sense of which way was up and which way they were falling. Tooth wrapped her arms tightly around him, shaking violently as musty air tore at them and knocking off all ideals of balance and rightness.

Jack twisted and held her to him, her head on his chest. If they were still falling down and were to hit something, he'd take the impact.

And that's exactly what would have happened had it not been for a mysterious force catching them inches from the floor. They still fell, but at least it was less splattering than their last fall.

"Jack?" Tooth's fingers trembled as she gingerly traced his jawline and ran her hands through his hair.

"You OK?"

"Where are we?" He followed her gaze and saw that they were, regrettably, in another hallway.

This one looked better though and there was a strong urge to sprint- or skip, depending on preferences- down the smooth marble floor and dart in and out of the bright colours floating and swirling in the air, like walls of Northern Lights and rainbows mixed together.

It was beautiful here. Comfortably light, although, Jack could have done without the warmth. But he could sense the appeal; the interest uncovered as colours formed pictures and danced all around him. Sounds of laughter, cheers and applause cartwheeled about them, but the further they went, the more of a pull they felt to just grasp these artistic colours, the beautiful rainbow spirals.

Jack was just about to do this when somebody hauled him away sharply. "Jack, no!" Tooth cried.

"What?"

"You can't touch them!"

"Why? They're so pretty." She grabbed him by the shoulders and forcibly shook him. "Tooth?" He gently rested his fingertips to her lips. "What's wrong?"

"They're dangerous."

"They're just lights."

"No, I remember now. It's time, Jack. All the events that ever happened, right from the beginning to… now." She pointed at a picture twisting to their left. "See. Henry the eighth." She turned and pointed out something else. "And there's the Gunpowder Plot of Guy Fawkes."

"I'm confused."

"It's history." She grabbed his hand and dragged him further down the hall. Colours barrelled past them, noises blurring together. There wasn't just joyful sounds now- there were screams, cries for help, clashing swords and gunfire, explosions and shouts. Armies marching, children crying…

She dug her fingers into his arm and he visibly pulled himself together. "I know it's tempting, Jack, but we mustn't touch anything."

"Why?"

"You'll get sucked in and I… I don't know how to get out again."

"OK. No touching." He looked wistfully at all the bright, pretty colours passing by, but kept her warning in mind. _No touching_.

He focused on Tooth instead, carefully examining all the colours in her feathers and the purple hues in her eyes. Her feathers were soft, one colour neatly blending into another. He startled her when he absent-mindedly stroked those feathers, giving a sheepish smile as she placed a hand over her heart and fired a look his way that screamed _'Are you trying to kill me_?'

Lights plummeted and they were encased daringly in inky darkness. Tooth grabbed him, a fearfully surprised exclamation emitting from her. Jack kept his arm around her and raised his staff, but it was eerily silent. If something was attacking them, how could he retaliate? He could see or nothing, besides Tooth's erratic breathing.

"K-k-keep walking…" Tooth stammered. They kept a tight grip on each other as they trod slowly down the hall, careful to place their feet as to not trip each other up or detour into the magical walls.

Coldness blasted around them. It had no effect on Jack, but the smell of death and vomit was so powerful, he choked. Tooth felt nauseas, her head spinning and pounding like an army of eccentric drummers lining her mind.

Unsure how long they stumbled through this nightmare, the relief for living it was as immense as the sudden burst of light streaking across their eyes and disorientating them into near blindness.

Ignoring the lights about them, they squinted ahead at looming doors fifty steps from them.

The only thing between them and their exit was a sphinx.

"Hello." She smiled- it was definitely a she, despite her voice sounding like she was being dragged through gravel. "Here for your son and fairy friends?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Sphinx."

"And… how'd you know Time?"

"Oh, we are old friends. He returned me to life with time reversal while those foolish Egyptians thought it best to kept me entrapped in crudely sculptured stone." She scowled. "I do hope you aren't fools. I like meals who can answer riddles beforehand."

"_Meals_?" Tooth's earlier sickness doubled and light-headedness added itself to her thudding headache.

"I don't eat _everyone_ that comes down here. I've been instructed to leave you two unharmed." She laughed. "Unharmed. Ha! That Dark Ages scared, you didn't it?"

"Dark Ages?" They looked back. The darkness swarmed metres from them, causing them to take a few cautious steps away.

"Yes, yes. Now, for my riddles." She cleared her throat and tilted her chin up with an air of dictatorship.

"We don't have time for this!" Tooth hissed desperately.

"First riddle." The sphinx announced crisply. "What kind of tree do you carry in your hand?" Tooth literally growled in annoyance, bunching her fists. Jack could see the sphinx's game though- answer the riddles and you pass. Fail and you stay here longer.

She was stalling.

He looked down at his hand, determined to get these right.

"Palm." He said.

"Correct." The sphinx smiled. Tooth stared at him in astonishment.

"I like riddles." He admitted, lopsidedly grinning.

"Next one. What kind of room has no doors or windows?" Tooth knew this one!

"Mushroom!" She all, but shouted at the sphinx. "Can we go now?"

"Nope! Three more, as long as you get them _all _right." The lion-woman creature smiled, but there was an underlying maliciousness. Stalling indeed.

She continued. "This is a bit of a lengthy one. A murderer is sentenced to death and he can choose from three rooms. The first is full of raging fires. The second full of Assassins with loaded guns. The third is of lions that have not eaten in three years. Which room is safest?"

Jack and Tooth conversed quietly.

"Could you repeat that last bit?" Jack asked.

"The third is of lions that have not eaten in three years. Which room is safest?"

"Room three. Lions who haven't eaten in three years are dead." The sphinx nodded, beaming.

"Normally, I'd have eaten any visitors by now. You two are doing very well. Now," She licked her lips, "What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three legs in the evening?"

"Man." Tooth replied. Jack smiled at her. Riddles weren't so bad.

"Ah, last one. I must remember this. You two are surely record holders."

"And you won't eat us?"

"No. Last one- I am the beginning of the end, the end of every place. I am the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space. What am I?"

* * *

**Answer that last one! No cheating! :D **

**And sorry if this chapter is a bit :/ but I'm not really with it today.**


	18. Chapter 18

**All those who reviewed got the answer to that riddle right! Woohoo! :D**

**And guess who's seventeen today? ME! So, because I'm such a LOVELY person and NOT EVIL AT ALL, could I get some NICE reviews to show how KIND I am :3**

**Sorry for not replying to PMs or updating as I used to- everyday- but I've been really busy and with major writer's block/ lack of inspiration. I feel mean for not replying or updating, but I'm going to try and get back into my old routine!**

* * *

The sphinx repeated the riddle, smiling like she knew they wouldn't solve it. Jack was debating between two answers right that second. He watched as Tooth despaired while mulling over the riddle in a barely audible voice. He chewed his lip, drumming his fingers on his staff as he placed his mind through strenuous thought. Irritation blossomed in his eyes, Tooth noticed. He, without a doubt, had ideas to freeze the sphinx. That way, they could just move her and carry on.

She sighed, mumbling to herself. Any answer that cropped up was just her desperation screaming at her. She stared at her hands, as if she would glean the answer from her palms, as Jack had earlier. If he hadn't been there with her, her will would have shattered and she would have done something unbelievably and stupidly rash- attack the sphinx maybe. Jack's presence was a comforting restraint though and she clung to his arm frantically.

Looking up at his pondering expression, she squeezed his arm.

"Any ideas?"

"One." He decided. "But it sounds stupid."

"What is it?" Doubt flashed in his eyes. "Jack?" She pleaded.

"It's stupid." He shook his head, but saw the anxiety flare in those violet orbs of hers. Cal had her eyes.

At the thought of his son, Jack steeled his resolve and snatched up one of his answers. It was better than nothing. It seemed so simple, but what if he got it wrong? He couldn't let Tooth down. Or his son and the two captured fairies.

Tooth took his hand in both of hers. "What is it?" She repeated demandingly, scared tears pooling in her eyes and threatening to spill.

"I… _think_… it's… 'e'?"

"The letter?" He nodded. Tooth bounced the idea around her mind, hope expanding through her. It may seem like a bit of a long shot, but if they could get past the sphinx.

Jack laced his fingers with her and they voiced the riddle together, simultaneously offering the answer.

The sphinx beamed at them and pushed herself up.

"You may pass." Tooth nearly screamed in relief, firing up her wings and hurtling through the door. Jack felt his own smile form and shone it towards the sphinx. "Well done, Jack Frost. I did not expect you to get those."

With a twist of his staff, he was in the air and careering after Tooth.

He caught up in a matter of seconds, grabbing her hand and grinning at her.

"You did it!" She stopped mid-flight and smothered him with a hug. "Jack, you're brilliant!" He laughed and hugged her back carefully- those wings were bloody fast and could slice through solid nightmares and flesh. _No touching_.

Tooth laughed again and pulled back, her fingers curled in the front of his hoodie. She beamed at him, a beam that made the whole thing worthwhile.

"Come on. Let's get them back."

* * *

Sky Breeze grumbled to herself.

Her cousins had come for a visit, but they were as obsessed with the Frosts as much as the tooth fairies were. Sky, personally, couldn't see the attraction. Both were highly annoying and opposed her warm summer.

The autumn spirit, Amber, bobbed along in her irregular pattern. She wore regular dark blue skinny jeans, her once white T-shirt now splattered with the reds, oranges and yellows of her respective season. Her scarlet hair was bronze in the recent sunlight, the blonder highlights golden and tangled about leaves- she had _leaves_ in her hair. Some people had flowers or feathers, but Amber had leaves. Go figure. Her eyes were the colour of a clear autumn sky and had that continuous childish gleam Sky had seen quite often of children kicking and jumping giant piles of leaves.

Then there was the spring spirit, April. She was bubbly and bright, excited easily and seeing the good in everyone, even Pitch Black (apparently, he's 'lonely'). Daisy chains adorned her hair and wrists, the yellow of the flowers' centres ever so slightly darker than her silvery blonde hair. Her blue eyes were off the palest, yet warmest kind and there was a permanent look of wonder about them. Her white dress was ruffled around the skirt and it was amazing that it was crystal clean what with all the rolling about in grass and flowers she did, as well as the playing with her precious animals.

"Sky, cheer up! You're so moody lately! Oh my stars, a squirrel!" April dived, her five-year-old attention span once again drawing her away from the more important matters.

"April!" Amber laughed. She shook her head, but she was smiling. "What's the matter anyway?" Her smile turned sarcastic. "Thinking about _Cal_?"

"That idiot?" Sky wrinkled her nose. "No!"

"But you'd be sweet together!"

"I don't think so. I'd kill him within minutes."

"You're such a depressing old sod. April, come on!"

"Wait! I've found my people!" Amber and Sky shared questioning looks and dropped to meet their cousin. She was lying in a meadow of brightly coloured flowers and fresh green grass. A squirrel was curled on her stomach and birds rested on her arms and shoulders. A butterfly was sat on her nose and she was beaming broadly.

"April…" Amber warned. April made a 'frowny' face and her animal friends scampered away. She jumped up, her hair and dress miraculously immaculate, as always.

"Where are we going anyway?"

"We've all been called in. Father Time's awake now and we've got to lull him back to sleep before we end up in even more trouble."

"What about the Sandman? Can't he do anything?" Sky silently fumed. April was such an airhead sometimes! She had been told about the meeting a dozen times in the last hour and was still not aware of what they had set out to do.

"April, come _on_. We were supposed to be there by now!"

"Sorry!" April sang, sounding very unapologetic and much more cheery than appropriate.

They took off again. The spring spirit laughed, dipping and diving and shooting back up to the sky. Flowers blossomed over fields, greens, gardens and trees. Animals stirred to life; on the ground, in the sky and in between.

Sky didn't have that sort of ability. She could make it as hot as pleased- leading to the odd burst of fire she found she could summon- but the joy of summer bought with it swimming pools and water fights and ice-creams. Summer breezes- as her name implied- were at her fingertips and enabled her to fly as she wished.

So it was no wonder winter embodiments like Jack Frost and his wretched son got on her nerves. Autumn and Spring were before and after Winter, so there were no clashes in that department. Amber and April were forever on the verge of squealing insanely when either of the Frost idiots were bought up.

"Oooh, is the Easter Bunny going to be there?"

"Yes." Amber replied, smiling. _Where did that girl get her patience from?!_ Sky would have throttled April _millennia _ago had it not been for their level-headed cousin. "Why?"

"He's _hot_."

"He's a rabbit."

"It's the _accent_." April insisted, sighing dreamily. "And he fits right in with Spring. New beginnings and hope and whatnot."

"You sound very blasé." Sky muttered.

"Very what?" April puzzled.

"Nevermind." Sky sighed, willing herself to go faster. The sooner they got to Tooth Palace, the better.

* * *

**Ok, more of a filler chapter, but I'm going to do my best to work with this.**

**Now, I'm off to watch **_**Catching Fire**_**! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Some guest reviews to reply to first of all:**

**Guest 1- Yes! It was E! I thought that was a bloody clever riddle! Not that I came up with it, if I'm honest. I Googled riddles. I'm not that smart to come up with something like that. And my little sister can be really cool as well, but she's a bit of a madam sometimes :/**

**Guest 2: Stop being lazy, Irisa! And you posted that twice! You logged in the first time as well! Honestly, is CrAzY coming back? :P **

**Guest 3: Hello :D How are you?**

**Guest 4: That's a very good big guess- yes, it's Father Time. He's an idiot :3**

**Ellie: Working on it! :D**

* * *

"Oh, he _is_ here!" April laughed, darting forward on light feet and abruptly hugged Bunny tightly. Bunny, obvious to say, was a _wee_ bit shocked. He stood rigid and awkward as the petite Spring spirit clung to him happily. She barely came above his elbow.

"April!" Amber reprimanded. Her cousin skipped back, beaming. Bunny was still in a state of shock, but only until North smirked at him.

"Shove off, you old geezer!" Bunny growled, boomerang jumping to hand. North held his hands up in surrender, but could barely conceal a chuckle.

Amber and Sky grabbed April by the arms to keep her still, Amber apologizing to Bunny for her cousin's eccentric behaviour.

"Right." Sky drew their attention. "What's going on?" She glanced around and was relieved to see neither Jack nor Cal was present.

"Father Time is back." North expressed grumpily. "He is now teaming up with Pitch."

"Yeah, I got that bit." Sky sighed impatiently. Around her was North, Bunny, Sandy- obviously, what with them being _the_ Guardians- but there was also Mother Nature, a few of the miniscule tooth fairies, the Halloween spirit she could never remember the name of and some of the other embodiments of childhood joy that she was too lazy to register.

"He has two fairies and Cal." Bunny shot her a pointed look, unimpressed with her annoyed attitude.

"The Frost brat?" The second the words left her mouth, everyone was glaring at her. "You do realise he's _not_ that fantastic, right?"

"Cal may be annoying, but he means well." Amber frowned.

"And he's cute." April gushed.

"He doesn't mean well and he is _definitely_ not cute! How can he mean well when all he does is freeze things and cause trouble?!"

"He's a _winter spirit_!" Amber protested, laying on the obvious pretty thick. "Even April can understand that!"

"Yeah!" April agreed enthusiastically. Sky fumed while that ticked over in April's mind. "Hey…" She frowned at Amber at least a minute later.

"I don't care! He's a nuisance and good riddance!" Amber made to retort hotly, but Sandy popped up between them, waving his hands in a calm down motion. April stared at him in amazement. She never got over the fact that sometimes she was _actually_ in the presence of a Guardian.

Sky wasn't finished though. "Why are they Guardians anyway? We're seasonal spirits too! We should be Guardians!"

"They get picked, Sky! We didn't!" Amber's eyes flared dangerously in temper and Sky relished in the self-pride at finally sparking the recently dormant temper.

"That's enough!" Mother Nature ordered strictly. Sky tilted her chin up in defiance, but Mother Nature was as stubborn as… well, nature.

Sighing, Mother Nature regained her composure and smoothed her moss green dress. Relaxed, she was beautiful, with a sense of unruliness about her. Her coffee brown skin was decorated with lines of rich green ivy and beautiful white flowers no bigger than a walnut. Her thick, raven hair was twisted up in a messy, yet stylish top knot and as embedded with flowers as much as April's.

Pressing her fingertips together, the queen of wildlife smiled calmly at North. "Do continue. Unlike some present company," An icy look to Sky, "I am quite fond of young Cal, despite his mischief."

"Jack and Tooth are in Time Palace now and-"

"They're in the _Time Palace_?" Amber's anger had gone, replaced by astonishment.

"Yes." North nodded.

"How?"

"You have to think of Time Palace in moment." He explained his theory. "It worked!" He beamed happily. "Tooth and Jack got in."

"And you didn't go with them to get your darling Cal back?" Sky grumbled.

"Anymore lip from you and you'll be pushing up daisies." Bunny growled.

"I love daisies!" April babbled. Nobody responded to her.

"Going to hit me, Cotton Tail?" Sky sneered. "I didn't know you'd stoop so low to hit a woman."

"I said _enough_!" Mother Nature's voice filled the Tooth Palace and everything was silent. "Sky, hold your tongue! We have enough problems as it is! If we don't work together to stop Pitch and Time, we will lose everything we've protected since time began! We cannot fight amongst ourselves."

"Oh, yeah, let me just threaten them with warm sunshine and ice-creams." Sky waved them off, turning to the exit. "Let me know how it goes."

"Sky!" April rushed forward, grabbing her hand in both of hers.

"Get off me!" Sky snatched her back and shoved April away. "I want nothing to do with that Frost idiot!" A question mark appeared above Sandy's head. Sky glared at him, but didn't get to answer as Amber beat her to it.

"Winter and summer. Complete opposites. Yes, just go. You'll cause more trouble than it's worth."

"_Me_? You're risking everything to save someone who causes the most trouble! _Idiots_." Sky took off and left.

"She'll come back, right?" April asked tearfully, fiddling with her hair.

"Just give her time to cool off." Amber assured, putting her arm about her sensitive cousin's shoulders.

* * *

"There." Jack breathed, pointing. Tooth gasped in horror and had every intention to fly down to their son, but Jack stopped her. Time was prowling about and Pitch was, without a doubt, hidden in the shadows.

"What's that?" She asked in a barely noticeable voice. She had spotted a column of dark sand. A sickening chill coiled in her stomach and terror swept through her. "My fairies! They're in there!"

"We'll get them." Jack assured, his hand on hers. Tooth squeezed his fingers in gratitude, but her thoughts were consumed by the imprisonment of her son and fairies.

"We need a distraction." Jack nodded in agreement, glancing around. He gripped Tooth's arm to stop her flying off to do anything absurd. He knew that if a fairy or more were in trouble, her thoughts got jumbled and her actions were often impulsive.

Pitch tumbled from the shadows, looking furious.

"They're outside!"

"Who are?"

"The other Guardians! You said they couldn't find us!"

"Oh, there is a way." Time seemed rather calm despite his accomplice's anger. Pitch threw him an angry questioning look. "They must have figured it out."

"You make that sound like a good thing."

"Do not worry, friend. Only we can free these three. I would not bother with the Guardians just yet." Pitch nodded mutely, scanning the cavernous room. Jack and Tooth ducked back behind the curve of the doorway- yes, they were on the ceiling. Thanks to Cal, Jack had found that he could walk on pretty much any surface. He was supporting Tooth at the moment, but just by a slight change in air pressure, he was capable of shifting his centre of gravity to suit his needs.

Minutes passed in a tense silence. Pitch, ignoring Time's advice and growing restless, sent out hoards of nightmares. Time was inspecting Cal curiously, occasionally poking him in the face, arm, shoulder or chest. Tooth bristled angrily. Cal was frozen in time, his fists raised and ready to fit, but the fear in his eyes was evident.

"We have to do something!" She protested in a voice below a whisper.

"Wait." Jack insisted, his arm about her shoulders now. Seconds passed and his patience finally paid off.

The doors to the vast room were slammed open. White blobs flew threw them and then the room filled with multi-coloured smoke. Jack dived, Tooth right beside him. He whacked Pitch with his staff as he passed and headed straight for Cal and the trapped fairies.

Time emerged from the smoke as footsteps and battle cries- and North's laughter- filled the room. He stopped between Cal and the boy's parents, smiling as pleasantly as he could.

"_Bonjour_."

"Get out of the way." Jack warned, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Tooth.

"_Non_." He looked at Tooth and bowed his head in what Jack assumed was a sign of respect, which was a bit backwards coming from the man who had kidnapped their son. "_Mademoiselle_, I do apologise for taking your son, but it is for a good cause."

"_Good cause_?!" Tooth raged. She lunged forward, wings buzzing with a fury Jack hadn't seen in them or her before. She clouted Time heavily in the face and he staggered back.

"Now, now, _mademoiselle, _I do not wish to hurt you."

"You took my son!" Another hit. "And my fairies!" This time a kick to the stomach. Jack was having his job taken. "And it's for a _good cause_?!" She linked her hands together and swung them up in a swift, diagonal motion, striking him solidly under the chin. He toppled backwards and landed heavily on the floor. Tooth towered over him, still in the air and glaring down at him with such vehemence, Jack didn't dare _breathe_.

But he pulled himself together as she turned that glower on him. He hurriedly froze Time to the floor and set about freezing the nightmare cage and breaking it gently as to not hurt the fairies.

"You think this will stop me?" Time laughed. "You are very much mistaken, _monsieur_." Jack ignored him, seeing Baby Tooth and Emily beam up at him from their dismal imprisonment. He chipped away a few more fragments and they fluttered free, squeaking their thanks and heading to their queen.

Tooth caught them in her hands and held them to her chest gently, mumbling relief and reassurance. Emily was absolutely hysterical, trembling in fear and tears trekking down her cheeks. Baby Tooth was shadow boxing and chirping what sounded like threats to Jack.

Now all they had to do was figure out how to unfreeze Cal.

Jack waved his hands in his son's face, wishing he had a marker.

_Stop it, Jack. You're supposed to be serious_.

Serious. Got it.

"Oy." He rounded on Time, pressing the crooked end of his staff to the French's throat. "Unfreeze him."

"No."

"Now."

"Or what? You'll set your little fairy on me?" He chortled. Apparently, he hadn't noticed that one eye was almost swollen shut with bruises; his nose was bleeding heavily; the ragged breathing that escaped his torn and bleeding lips indicating a few cracked or broken ribs or the thick layer of dark purple and blue bruises smothering his jaw line.

"No, it's my turn." Jack twisted his hand and a two foot long shard of ice took form in his hand. He pressed the tip to Time's stomach and applied a small ounce of pressure. Time smiled, but there was a flicker of a grimace in his eyes. "Now." Jack warned. "I don't normally resort to violence."

"She must be quite the influence then." Time held his hands up. "Fine." Cal unfroze, but he had been mid-punch and struck his father in the chest with enough force to send Jack back a few steps.

"Oh moon and stars! I'm so sorry!"

"Cal!" Baby Tooth and Emily flew to Jack as Tooth bundled her son into a fierce hug. "Are you OK?"

"Um… I think so. What's going on?"

"Why are you letting him go?" Pitch's voice carried through the ruckus of the fight between his nightmares and the Guardians and their allies. "That's not the plan!"

"I've got what I wanted." Time, frozen to the floor, was lying flat out on his back- Cal thought he looked stupid- but he seemed as relaxed as ever, as if he were there voluntarily.

"What did you do?" Tooth demanded, her temper sparking again. Jack motioned to Cal, who broke free in time to watch his mother boot Time in the ribs from a safe distance.

"She's violent." He whispered to his father, watching interestedly, even though he shouldn't.

"Don't you get any ideas." Jack replied, smiling and drawing him into a one-armed hug. "Glad you're OK, kid."

"Sorry for hitting you. I didn't mean to."

"Not bad for a scrawny midget though."

"I'm short, I get it." Jack laughed and ruffled Cal's iridescent hair. His son had reached a height that was between Jack's shoulder and elbow and the same height as his mother's shoulder. He was a bit of a titch, but they tried not to bring it up _too_ often.

After adding another few layers of ice to Time just for extra measure and letting Tooth loose on Pitch, Jack rounded up the rest of the Guardians and they started to leave. They had what they came for and it was best to leave while they were ahead.

"Tooth, come on!"

"One more!" She called back, giving Pitch a bloody nose and letting him crumple to the floor next to his new friend. She flew over to join them and smiled sweetly.

"She's _craaaazy_!" Cal hissed from the corner of his mouth. "One second she's all lovely and cheerful and the next she's stringing people up by the intestines or something."

"I'm not _that _violent."

"Please tell that to Time's face."

"Why did we even bother coming to get you?"

"Because you missed me." Cal grinned. Then he looked doubtful. "Right?" Bunny laughed and got him in an underarm headlock.

"Course we did, you lil' ankle biter!"

"I know I'm short!" They all laughed. "Whoa, Mother Nature! Hi!" Cal glanced back at the room and studied the corridors about him. All their powers had come together and now lined pretty much every square inch of floor, walls and ceiling, the most prominent being Mother Nature's unrelenting plants. "So cool!" He looked at his mother and started to frame a question, when terror exploded through him, bringing with it a heat so intense, it buckled his knees and forced him to the floor.

"Cal!" He recognised his mother's voice, but he didn't see her. Pitch loomed over him. He could sense nightmares crowding him, but he couldn't see them in the darkness. All he could see of the Bogeyman was those eerie yellow eyes and the pale grey skin.

"Boo."

"I did say you would not be able to stop us, _mademoiselle_." Tooth and Jack wrestled with Cal, who had started fighting them in a blind panic.

Time was free, Pitch next to him. They were bruised and battered from Tooth's mercilessness, but they were seemingly ready to go up against the Guardians and their team.

The plan wasn't to fight; it was to get Father Time back to sleep. As long as he slept, time would continue as it always had without him meddling with it or changing things to suit him and ruin countless lives. Time was a fickle thing and tampered with for the worse proved disastrous and murderous.

"No!" Jack stopped his friends dead in their tracks. "Don't fight them, that's what they want!" He turned at the waist and pointed down the tunnel that hadn't been here earlier. Sunlight illuminated the very end. "Everyone out!" He ordered.

Sandy put Cal to sleep and Jack picked him up in his arms, his staff in Tooth's possession. He led the others out as quickly as he could, ignoring their protests and demands for his idea.

He didn't have an idea as such, just a theory.

But it _had_ to work.

He wasn't sure what was wrong with Cal, but the Moon had told him if anything was to become out of the ordinary with Cal, a nice winter would remind him what he truly was.

They got outside quite quickly. The Time Palace looked much more solid and didn't vanish within milliseconds- Time was keeping it here. _What were they planning_?

Jack set Cal down carefully on a hilltop, he and Tooth kneeling either side. His 'cousins', Amber and April, appeared instantly, fussing over Cal.

Hold on, there was a 'cousin' missing…

As if understanding his befuddled expression, Amber sighed.

"Sky didn't want to help because she doesn't like you and Cal."

"That's her problem then, isn't it?" Jack looked back down at his son. Tooth had her hand on Cal's forehead and tears shone in her eyes. "What's the matter?"

"He's warm." She squeaked. Jack had to strain his hearing just to comprehend what she had said.

Apparently, he had warmed up before he-

No.

Shooing Tooth's hand away, Jack placed his own there and willed as much winter energy as he could muster- he had to save some for later- to transfer from him to his son. Cal's warmth quickly turned into the familiar chill and Tooth, who was holding his hand, laughed in relief.

Cal opened his eyes.

"Brain freeze." He said instantly.

"We don't get brain freeze." Jack pointed out.

"Tell my brain that."

"Can't. It's non-existent, remember?"

"How am I getting brain freeze if I don't have a brain then, smarty pants?" Jack didn't respond to that one and helped Tooth sit Cal up. "What'd you do anyway?"

"Later." Jack promised, seeing Pitch and Time at the edge of his vision.

Cal had only heard of his father getting angry once- when Sandy died in the first battle against Pitch. He had his own incredibly fuzzy memories of Jack fighting Pitch when he was little, but it was mostly just bursts of colours, a tunnel and his mother's broken screams as she cradled Jack's body.

Shaking his head, Cal banished those heartless memories and focused on something much better.

An angry Jack Frost.

Something had snapped in Jack and he was now, despite the duress, dragging up any remaining snow from all over the world while at least thirty metres above them.

And that was a lot of snow.

Blizzards howled and warred around Jack, a typhoon of winter with the personification in the centre. Pitch and Time struggled to raise any of their powers, Pitch in particular; the icy winds buffeted away their feeble attempts. Cal had to drag the others back to relative safety, unable to draw his fascination away as frost thickened over Pitch and Time's bodies.

The winds picked up and the temperatures plummeted further. They could barely see Jack through the ferocity of his temper.

Pitch cried out as winter crumbled away his very form. He staggered towards Time, hands out as they froze and deteriorated into dead nightmare sand. The winds ripped away chunks from his body, dissolving him into nothing more than his significantly weakening powers.

Time was faring a bit better, but he was at no advantage. Ice clawed into his immaculate appearance, shredding his pressed suit and ruining his shoes to smithereens. Coldness sliced through his skin, burying into his flesh and snatching away parts of him similarly to Pitch's own destruction.

Cal lost track of how long his father's powers stormed on, but there was nothing left of Pitch or Time when he finished.

The blizzard didn't die down in seconds, taking its own sweet time. Jack gradually lowered to the floor, but something was wrong. His shoulders slouched with an exhaustion Cal hadn't known possible.

Then Jack fell.

"Jack!" Tooth cried. She jumped up, hurtling towards the blizzard and deaf to the other's calls. Cold gnawed at her skin, but she ignored it, diving under Jack and catching him. She turned back to the others and flew back as quickly as she could, Jack mumbling incoherently in her arms. He was heavy and uncooperative on the brink of unconsciousness.

She was nearing the others when something cracked and pain detonated across her back and searing into her left arm and chest. She tumbled from the sky, dropping Jack.

They crash-landed in the mud, her dazed and disorientated in agony and Jack drifting between awareness and oblivion.

"Mam!" Cal scrambled through the mud faster than the others. "Mam, are you- oh moon and stars…" Ice coated her wings, embedded in them.

Her left wing had a malicious tear through it, the ice contorting it and most likely causing more strife.

North appeared, shedding his coat and draping it about Tooth. The coat swamped her, but she seemed relieved at the warmth.

Bunny picked Jack up and Sandy presented Cal with the staff. Cal put an arm carefully around his mother, apologizing as she groaned in pain. Delirium layered in her eyes and she had paled considerably.

Cal wasn't sure if she knew her wing was broken.

* * *

**And done! **

**Wait, what other childhood people are there? Like, Santa and the Easter Bunny and the other Guardians. I can't think! D:**


	20. Chapter 20

"Hellooo…"

"Ugh, shush." Jack waved Cal away with one hand and kneaded his forehead with the other. He opened his eyes blearily, happy to see that it wasn't overly bright in the room.

Cal smiled at him.

"How'd you feel?" He asked, keeping his voice low.

"Like somebody hit me with a truck."

"Not even close, Dad." Cal explained what happened, his eyes lighting up as he recalled his excitement at his father's anger. "And then they were like 'oh no, I'm melting' and-"

"Melting?"

"Well, freezing and breaking into a million itty bitty pieces, but it doesn't have the same ring to it." Jack chuckled, but stopped short as his ribs protested. "You also crash-landed and Bunny said you cracked a few ribs."

"Wait, crash-landed?" Cal's smile faded and he suddenly looked uncomfortable. "What aren't you telling me?" Jack commanded.

"You… fell. But Mam flew up to catch you and… we tried to stop her, but she didn't listen…" Jack's eyes hardened as Cal trailed off. Cal took a deep breath and said it as quickly as he could: "The blizzard was still going and Mam flew right into it to catch, but her wings froze and one's broken and we don't know what to do."

"Where is she?"

"Her room, but-" Jack was on his feet before Cal could argue against it. The room spun and tilted viciously and Jack fell backwards. Cal caught him, pressing the staff in Jack's hand and helping keep him upright. "You should rest, Dad."

"Later." Jack persevered, starting towards the door. Cal tried to pull him back, but, even in a weakened state, Jack was stronger.

Reluctantly, he helped his father stumble to Tooth's room. Jack kept pushing himself and it was such a relief when he sank onto the bed next to the still sleeping Tooth. Cal wasn't designed to be a fast-moving leaning post.

Jack moved Tooth gently, seeing that her injured wing had been bandaged.

"Fairies did it." Cal explained. "We're a bit heavy handed for a wing."

"How bad is it?"

"Well, it's still on." Jack glared at him. "There's a tear like this big," He held his hands up about five inches apart, "Right across it." Jack sighed, turning back to Tooth and trying to wake her up. Cal backed out quietly.

"Tooth?" The fairy stirred. "Wake up." He persuaded. She opened her eyes a fraction and stared at him. "Hey." She drifted into sleep again. Jack shifted closer and lay down next to her. "Toothiana." Her eyes snapped open and she frowned.

"Why are you using my full name?" She asked sleepily.

"I got your attention, didn't I?"

"I _like_ sleeping." She grumbled. She made to roll over, but pain splintered through her and she cried out. Jack caught her by the hand and kept her on her side, facing him.

Tears welled in her eyes. "My wing…" she choked.

"I'm sorry." Jack brushed her tears away carefully. She closed her eyes, counting to ten slowly under her breath to compose herself.

"It's not your fault." She replied mutely, meeting his gaze.

"It was my blizzard."

"But it was me who flew into it." He shook his head. As far as he was concerned, it was _his_ blizzard, which made it _his_ fault.

Tooth linked her fingers with his, her palm warm against his. Her hand trembled, but she managed a watery smile.

"I'll find a way to fix your wing." Jack promised. "But if I have to chaperone you around, so be it."

"You're sweet." She told him, carefully moving closer and resting her head on his chest. "But you make it sound like it's your fault." Her other hand passed over his jawline. "I don't blame you."

"I blame me."

"Well don't." He met her eye defiantly. "I mean it." She warned.

"Or what?" He challenged miserably.

"Wood's flammable, isn't it?" Her eyes slid past him and to his staff propped against the wall.

"You wouldn't."

"It's not your fault." She insisted. "Say it." Jack clenched his jaw and she squeezed his hand warningly. "_Say_ _it_." He sighed. "Jack, don't blame yourself." Her eyes pleaded with him, wide and teary. "Please."

He rolled onto his back and she very slowly and carefully moved, lying on his chest with her head beneath his chin.

"Is there any way to fix that?" He asked softly. She sighed, pressing her face to the curve of his neck. He was cold, but it was a nice familiarity and her heart pounded as she recalled that she had missed his company for thirteen years. The way he treated her now was like no time had passed at all.

* * *

Cal carefully balanced a bowl of fruit and a pitcher of milk on a tray- there was nothing sugary at the Tooth Palace- and moved cautiously through the fairies. While distracted (and that was often), he was known for dropping or breaking things.

He made his way to his mother's room and pushed the spiralled handle down with his elbow. He edged in quietly, about to voice a greeting when he saw his parents peacefully asleep on the bed. Tooth was nestled peacefully on Jack's chest, his arm about her shoulders and avoiding her injured wing.

Tiptoeing forward, he placed the tray on the bedside table with barely a sound and eased the blanket over the sleeping pair, tucking it away from his mother's broken wing.

He saw his father's staff balanced against the wall. He checked that Jack was still asleep and decided that he didn't need it. He took the staff and left as quietly as he had entered, closing the door with a barely audible click.

"What are you doing?" Cal startled and nearly dropped the staff.

"Bunny!" He hissed. "Mam and Dad are sleeping, so shush!" Bunny didn't look too impressed, but he kept quieter.

They walked away from the room on soft feet.

"What're you doing with that anyway?" Bunny nodded at the staff.

"Oh come on. I love flying and I can't without it." Bunny just nodded. "So…" Cal smirked. "What's this with you and the spring spirit?" Bunny glowered at him, but that only made Cal laugh.

"She's just a lil' obsessed, is all."

"Mm-hm." Cal spun the staff casually, shooting Bunny a twisted smirk.

"Shove off." Bunny pushed him away, not harshly, but enough to let Cal know that he was toeing the line.

"So you don't like her?"

"She's a bit…" He made a face. "Hyper."

"I've never met her. But… the other season spirits. They're cousins with Dad, aren't they?"

"Kind of. They're only related by their powers, nothing else." Cal must have looked confused as Bunny continued. "All seasonal, right?" Cal nodded. "Only thing they have in common, really."

"Huh."

"They're here. Amber and April anyway."

"Aw, you're little fan."

"I will hurt you." Cal snickered, but instantly tried for a blank expression as Bunny reached for his boomerangs. They arrived in the main hall, fairies crowding the air. Some of them dive-bombed Cal, squeaking and chattering excitedly.

"Yes, yes, I'm back." Cal laughed softly. One of the fairies squealed and tugged on his hair. "Missed you too." They seemed to snuggle up to him closer then and it was Bunny's turn to smirk. "Is everything OK here?"

Suddenly, their voices were in his mind. Soft, feminine and very excited to see him.

_We're still working! _

_Lots of teeth, but we're getting there! _

_Maybe you could help now you have Jack's staff back! _

Cal hooked his arm around the staff and covered his ears. He could still hear them, now cries of concern. They hovered in front of him, worry etched on their small, round faces. Bunny looked as equally bothered.

"Oh, he's even cuter!"

"He's having trouble with something, April!" April didn't seem to hear Amber, rushing forward and hugging Cal, which confused him even more. "_April_!" Amber had to drag her cousin away. "Behave. Sky's going to be here any minute and we don't need her throwing another sulk." Amber sighed, looking at Cal apologetically. "Are you OK?"

"I'm hearing voices."

"Oh. Nothing new then?" Bunny shrugged.

"No. They're voices." He indicated the fairies and then massaged his forehead. "Mam does that, right?" His adoptive uncle nodded and Cal relaxed. "OK, OK. I'm not mad."

_Are you sure about that?_

"Pretty sure." He faced the fairy who had spoken, recognising her cheeky smile and drawing her name- Amelia- from somewhere. He got perplexed looks from the other three, but the fairies had gone into a bit of a titter of a giggle.

"Oh, yay. A Frost brat fan group. Just what I needed." They all looked round, seeing Sky leaning against the wall with a strong reluctance to be here. Her arms were folded and she frowned at them grumpily.

"And I thought you were supposed to be a ray of sunshine." Cal gave a lopsided smile, trying to keep the peace at least a fraction. Apparently, this didn't work with Sky.

"Shut it or I'll be a _real_ ray of sunshine." She growled threateningly. Heat rolled off her in waves and Cal backed up a few paces. The other two seasonal spirits, Bunny and the fairies seemed a tiny bit flustered by the sudden intensity of heat, but not as much as Cal.

And it didn't help that she was getting warmer. "You think you're so amazing, but you're an idiot!"

"What did I ever do to you?"

"_Do you know how many summers you've ruined_?"

"That couldn't have been me…"

"It has been for the last thirteen years! And I had _one country_ to myself that I kept nice and warm and you and your wretched father thought it would be a good idea and make it snow!"

"Um…"

"A hundred and twelve years! You couldn't just leave it untouched, could you?! You had to go and mess up my whole schedule for it!"

"That wasn't me…" Cal tried to argue, but his voice was feeble. The others were getting hot now, but that was nothing compared to how he felt. His head spun alarmingly fast; he felt as if his mouth and throat had been dried with sandpaper and if he didn't sit down so, he was going to collapse to the floor and not wake up for a year.

"Sky, stop it!" Amber ordered. Sky rounded on her.

"You're going to stop me?!"

"Look at him!" Amber waved her hand at Cal. "You're getting too hot and it's killing him!" _Killing him? Was that what was happening? _

Bunny put his paw on Cal's elbow and started leading him away. The temperature didn't drop until they had reached the far side of the Tooth Palace. Cal regained enough coolness to make it snow about him, forcing the temperatures to right below zero, but just around him so Bunny was unaffected.

"You alright, ankle-biter?"

"I didn't know getting too hot would be that bad." Cal sighed. The cold pulsed energy back through him and the fog in his mind faded slightly. He stood up straighter, still leaning on his staff. "She really doesn't like me, does she?"

"She's a stubborn mare." Bunny elaborated. "But maybe she'll come round in time."

"I hope so." He shook his head. "Heat is bad. And horrible."

* * *

**That will do for tonight, I think. I just need to remember my ideas now :P I hope it's OK! **


	21. Chapter 21

Jack woke first, his arm tingling with pins and needles. Tooth had moved over a fraction and was now lying mostly on his arm and he couldn't feel his fingers.

He squirmed and ever so slowly eased his arm free without waking or hurting her. Sitting up, he flexed his arm and waggled his fingers, eventually getting feeling back and ridding himself of pins and needles.

Then he noticed his staff was gone and somebody had left a bowl of fruit and a jug of milk- not the best of combinations- on the bedside table.

That could only be Cal. That kid had no idea of good combinations. Jack had got the brunt of a rant from Jamie about mixed up paint cans with bright colours that clashed violently.

Tooth sighed and pulled the blanket about her. Jack made a face at her sleeping form. Yes, he was cold, but he couldn't help it.

There was a soft knock on the door, urging Jack to his feet. He padded across the room and pulled it open a fraction.

"That's mine." He hissed.

"You were sleeping! And I was only borrowing it, honest!" Cal held the staff out to him. "How's Mam?"

"Sleeping." Jack studied him. "What have you done?"

"Nothing!"

"Ticked Sky off big time." Bunny translated. Jack slipped out into the hall with them as to not wake Tooth. He looked at Cal, indicating that he had no choice but to explain. Cal kept quiet and it was then that Jack noticed it was snowing about Cal. "She had a bit of a paddy 'bout you freezing Cairo."

"Oh." Jack snickered, ignoring Cal's mildly exasperated and mostly insulted look. "That was funny."

"_I got blamed for that_! And she tried to _melt_ me!"

"We don't melt." Jack assured, motioning for Cal to quieten his voice. "What'd you do anyway?"

"Well, the fairies were talking to me and she was all 'oh yay, Frost brat fan group' and then she went into a major one and everything got really hot and I was _melting_."

"Right." Jack ran a hand through his hair. "Is she still here?"

"I am not going near her. She'll kill me." Cal looked genuinely scared, but this only prompted Jack into laughter. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Fine. You sit with your mam and I'll sort things out." Jack coughed. "Chicken." Cal gaped at him, but then did the one thing he knew that would be effective and reminiscent- he knocked his father's feet from beneath him and laughed triumphantly, arms raised. Bunny was in hysterics while Jack lay on the floor, his expression a partially defeated 'why me?'

He sat up and reached for his staff, freezing Cal and Bunny in place. "Change of plans," He decided, getting to his feet and brushing himself down. He stepped out of their reach and smiled, "I might go and see North instead and just leave you here."

"Frost!" Bunny grabbed at him, but Jack was at a safe distance. For extra measure, he froze Bunny's boomerangs in their slings. "Damn you, Frost!"

"Don't get your ears in a bunch, Cotton-Tail." Jack smirked.

"Jack!" He spun on his heel and smiled sweetly at Tooth. "Let them go!"

"Mam, you should be resting."

"I'm fine." Tooth waved it off and flashed Jack a warning look. He sighed miserably and the ice about their feet shattered. Bunny tackled him instantly. "Bunny!" Tooth despaired. "Broken wing or not, I can still hurt you!" Bunny shook Jack a final time for good measure and then let him go rather reluctantly. Jack cleared his throat and dissolved into snickers. "Jack, you're such a child!"

"Let me hurt him." Bunny growled.

"Jack, behave or I'll let him!" Jack gave an incoherent protest. "I mean it!" Tooth warned. Cal had to catch a burst of laughter in his hands, but his mother instantly sent him to his room for 'encouraging his father'.

"No, that's not fair!" Cal argued desperately.

"If I have to kick you all the way there, I will. Your choice." Cal sighed and slouched off, dragging his feet pointedly. Grounded. Again. And it wasn't even his fault this time!

Thankfully, he didn't even get to his room when he was waylaid by April and Amber.

"Are you alright?" Amber demanded instantly. "I'm real sorry about Sky, but she can't control her powers sometimes, especially when she's in a temper."

"I'm fine." Cal assured, although it was a bit warmer down this corridor than the last. He had lost his personal flurry and the heat was seeping back in. "Is she still mad?"

"Yes, but we're leaving her to cool down before talking to her."

"I didn't mean to annoy her."

"No, she just has a short temper." Cal nodded and pushed the door open to his room. "And she does stuff like that as well."

His whole room had been torched.

That explained the heat.

His mother was going to kill him and he'd be grounded even more, but what could he do? Backing from the room sharply, he tried to inhale cooler air, but the heavy stench of smoke and the forceful heat swarmed him.

April grabbed his arm and directed him back the way he came while Amber remained to inspect his room. Everything was covered in smoke damage, black and burnt to a crisp.

"Cal!" Tooth's annoyance at him returning and not going to his room, like she had told him, faded when she saw his distress. "What's the matter? What's happened?"

"My room… Sky… burnt it." Jack moved around Tooth and put his hand on Cal's shoulder. Cold flooded through him and he found he could think straight and breathe clearer. "She's seriously over-reacting!" He exclaimed angrily.

"Cal, I'll sort it. You just stay here and cool off, OK?" Tooth touched his cheek. "Jack, Bunny- make sure he stays out of trouble, please." They both nodded and led Cal away. Tooth wandered down the hall, annoyed that she could not fly. She cursed herself for being stupid, but then she remembered that Jack was alive and well because she had risked her wing.

Amber and April stood nervously to the side as Sky paced furiously, grumbling to herself.

Tooth cleared her throat and gained the fiery glare from the summer spirit. "I just wanted to ask why you burnt my son's room."

"Does it matter?"

"Yes, actually. It's part of my Tooth Palace and he's my son."

"Well, I'm sorry," She grumbled sarcastically, "but if he and his stupid dad weren't such idiots and screwed things up continuously, we wouldn't be having problems, would we?!" Tooth bunched her fists. "Summer may not seem that important to an all-powerful Guardian, but I'm as protective of it as you are of this!" She threw her hand up, indicating the Tooth Palace. "They ruin what I do and are too thick to understand why I get annoyed with them!"

Tooth wasn't going to stand there and let her insult her boys any longer.

She slapped Sky, who staggered, equally shocked and wounded.

"That," Tooth spat, taking a breath to compose herself, "is quite enough. If you didn't over-react with everything, maybe you could all get along!" Sky didn't even have the heart to scoff, nursing her wounded cheek and staring at Tooth in amazement.

Tooth turned and mentally summoned Emily, who appeared seconds later. "Can you get Cal, Jack and Bunny for me, please?" Emily nodded and saluted, zipping from the hall.

Looking back at Sky, Tooth forced a calm smile. "We're going to sort this out and if you over-heat, so help me…" Tooth let the threat hang in the air.

Emily returned a minute later, the Frosts and Bunny in tow.

"I didn't do it, I swear." Cal said instantly. Tooth sighed.

"Did I miss something?" Jack asked eagerly.

"What is it, shelia?" Bunny asked. "I gotta get back to me warren."

"Bunny, if you have to go, you may. I'll update you later." Bunny smiled gratefully at her, tapping his foot on the ground and opening one of his tunnels. He disappeared, leaving behind a rich purple flower.

"I love it when he does that!" April squealed. She dashed forward and lay on the floor, smiling fondly at the flower. The others stared down at her in bewilderment, but they eventually carried on as normal.

"Cal, Jack and Sky, we're going to sort this feud out right _now_." Jack snorted.

"No offense, Tooth, but winter and summer don't really get along." Tooth smiled at him, but it wasn't a nice smile- more of a 'do as I say or I'll string you up by your insides' kind of a smile.

"And I'm going to change that." Cal and Jack shared cautious glances while Sky silently fumed. Tooth was being very brave. "Without shouting or burning them," Her gaze was firm and strict on Sky's, "explain why they annoy you so much." Irritably, Sky sighed. She was in two minds about leaving, but she had heard about the state Tooth had left Pitch and Time in and didn't feel up to being a spitting image.

So she did explain, keeping her tone as level as possible and her temperatures down by imagining a warm summer's day splashing through pools and eating ice-creams. She also took pride in the fact that Cal hovered nervously behind his father.

"Well, it's exactly the same for us." Jack reasoned once she had finished talking. "You melt our snow."

"Because you ruin my summer!"

"Not always. Just when we're bored."

"Freeze something else then!" Tooth cleared her throat pointedly and Sky counted to ten slowly in her head, willing herself to calm down. "I'll stop melting your snow if you stop freezing my summers."

"We'll stop freezing your summers if you stop melting our snow."

"Jack!" Tooth reprimanded. "Cal, don't laugh!"

"Sorry." Cal bit his lip and tried for serious. It didn't work.

"Yes or no?" Tooth demanded. Jack glanced over his shoulder at his son, who smiled. He looked back at Sky, seeing her usual glower taking place again.

"OK, fine." He held his hand out. Sky seemed mildly surprised.

"No tricks?" She asked cautiously.

"No tricks." Father and son confirmed. "Unless its' April Fool's Day." Cal added. "No!" He clarified at his mother's firm stare. "No tricks!"

"Good." Sky shook Jack's hand and, for the first time since Cal had met her, she smiled. It was a nice smile, warm and giving her the friendly appearance he had expected of summer originally. She looked much prettier without the scowl.

Tooth sighed and her annoyance faded. She smiled too.

"I'm glad that's sorted. Cal, go and clean your room."

"_What_?! But… that… she- oh, that's unfair! Dad, tell her! She's being mean!" Jack was too busy laughing.

"Sorry about your room." Sky mumbled. "I was just angry."

"Help me clean it and all will be forgiven." Cal bribed. She pursed her lips debatably.

"Fine." She eventually decided.

"Go on then." Tooth waved them away. "I want that room done by tomorrow at the latest."

"No pressure then." Cal grumbled. "Can I make it snowy?"

"No."

"Ugh, why not?" He complained.

"'Cos you need this." Jack held up his staff. "And you're not having it."

"I _borrowed_ it. And I gave it back!" He paused. "And I used it for thirteen years _and_ it's still in one piece." Jack looked at his staff and then back at Cal. "I'm being honest." Tooth laughed softly.

"He's been really good with that, Jack. He was really upset when… um…" She suddenly looked sheepish.

"When I stole it back?" Jack finished for her. She nodded slowly, looking at something over his shoulder. "I feel loved. And no sarcasm that time." She smiled gratefully at him.

"Well, room to clean. Yay." Cal turned, but tripped instantly. He had forgotten April was lying on the floor.

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**Sorry for not updating last night. I hadn't finished the chapter and I didn't want to post what I had 'cos I wasn't all that happy with it. I hope this is OK though! :D **


	22. Chapter 22

"Jack! Wake up!" Jack awoke with a start and sat up quickly, jarring his neck. He grumbled complaints, massaging the back of his neck. "Are you alright, my boy?"

"Ugh, I'm fine." Jack rubbed sleep from his eyes and fought a yawn.

"You've been working yourself too hard." Father Knowledge frowned concernedly. "You're lucky it was I who found you and not my apprentice." Jack smiled weakly. Knowledge's apprentice, General Knowledge, was… loud, more than anything else. He was literally a general, everything about him military and cold-hard facts. He disapproved of Jack, who was more fun times and rebellious behaviour with cheekiness and sarcasm thrown in. Being overly-factual, General Knowledge often ended up being a bit gullible and had spent half an hour trying to find 'gullible' on the ceiling until his mentor corrected him.

Father Knowledge was much unlike his strict apprentice. He was more of a warm father figure than anything else, keen to share knowledge and indulge in humour whenever possible. He was also a big help, directing Jack about the seemingly endless library. Jack liked how, no matter how many times Knowledge had read these books, his grey eyes lit up with excitement and took years from his appearance. Had it not been for his salt and pepper hair, Jack would have put him down as thirty at the least.

The apprentice was nothing like this. Yes, he enjoyed learning and obsessed over books, but he looked twenty with cropped dull brown hair, harsh blue eyes and a square jaw that was often set in a scowl. He marched about the library and the Knowledge Palace with an air of superiority in a pressed army uniform from a country Jack couldn't place.

Jack yawned and stared down at the book he had been using as a pillow. He had spent the last month cooped up in this extensive library, nestling away from fires in comfy armchairs, on sofas or, with a bout of childish behaviour; he'd collapse upside down on a bean bag with a book.

Not that he wanted to spend so much time in such a stuffy and logical place. His main goal was finding a cure for broken wings. The main knowledge embodiment was confused for what to do, but Father Knowledge was eager to help- there was a chance to learn something!

Leaning back in his chair, Jack rolled his head from side to side to get rid of the crick in his neck and to study the room. The ceiling and many of the upper shelves were lost in darkness, but it was a good job that he could fly and carry lanterns. Every book that had ever existed was here in whatever language you preferred. Any new books that came along and the library magically expanded to fit them. Jack wondered how this place hadn't overrun the globe yet.

Father Knowledge smiled at him. "Maybe some rest before you continue."

"No, I-"

"I know you promised, Jack, but it won't do for you to drool on my books."

"I don't drool." He protested feebly, wiping at his chin all the same. Father Knowledge's eyes glittered cheekily and he gathered the books from the table and set about returning them to their proper place.

He got up and stretched. How long had he been asleep? He hoped it wasn't too long. Tooth worried and making her worry was not good for his health.

The doors burst open with a thud that startled Jack into full awareness. General Knowledge marched smartly in; scowling when he saw Jack was still here.

"Stand up straight, boy!" He snapped. Jack purposefully sank onto the nearest bean bag and relaxed as much as he could and resting his staff across the back of his shoulders. General's scowl deepened and he trooped off to find his mentor.

He was staring at endless shelves above him upside down when the doors opened again, but instead of with a bang, they edged open. He looked at them curiously and saw Cal peek his head around nervously.

"What are you doing here, Cal?" Cal beamed at the sight of him, relieved.

"I came to check on you."

"And you got here… how exactly?"

"Um…" He glanced over his shoulder. Jack got up and wandered over.

"You didn't."

"I haven't scratched it!" Jack stared in amazement at his son. "I'll take it back, but Mam was panicking and I didn't know what else to do."

"And how'd you get it in the first place?" Cal's cheeks faded pink and he looked like a rabbit caught in headlights. "You didn't take snow globes too, did you?"

"Only a couple…" He mumbled. Jack laughed again and looked back at the sleigh in bewilderment.

"You're going to be in so much trouble." Cal gave a sheepish smile. "That's naughty list material right there- stealing snow globes, OK, my fault. But the _sleigh_?" Cal wrinkled his nose at him and then peered past his elbow.

"Have you found anything yet?"

"No, but I'm still looking." Cal nodded and then lowered his voice.

"Is General Snotty Pants here?" He whispered. Jack nodded. "I don't like him."

"I don't blame you." Jack messed up Cal's kaleidoscopic hair. "You should get the sleigh back before North notices."

"Good point."

"And tell your mam I'm fine, I was just… sleeping."

"You fell asleep?" Cal snickered. Jack shot him a pointed look. "Not funny, I know. Very sorry." He hurried back to the sleigh and snatched up the reins.

"Not a scratch!" Jack called after him.

Cal did his best to stick to that order and he mostly did. He was on the final stretch to North's palace- he didn't have another snow globe- with thoughts of 'North would never notice it had gone' and 'this is still working! It's not broken! Awesome!'

He was so close, but he was so far.

Fixated on North's place, Cal had failed to notice the darkness roiling behind him, curving round and gaining density and height. When he did, he had a closing five metre gap twenty feet in front of him to get through.

He lashed the reins sharply and the reindeers bolted forward.

It was a close call. Too close.

Raven sand ripped away the rear of the sleigh, reducing it to mere splinters. The darkness gnawed away at the remaining wood; thick, oily tendrils snapping up and coiling viciously about Cal's legs. Its brethren dashed right through the reins and the reindeer scattered. The nose of the sleigh teetered downwards and Cal was falling.

Wind tore through his hair and at his skin, burning his eyes. The nightmares vanished just as quickly as they had arrived and Cal had to cling to the wreckage they had left behind just to not fall from the back of the sleigh.

The ground loomed up to meet him rapidly and he seriously thought that this was it.

Warm arms caught him around the middle and he was yanked back. The sleigh hit the ice with an ear-splitting _crash_, chunks of it flying in all directions.

He was set down on the ice, breathing heavily at how close he had come to splattering.

"Are you alright?" He startled and whirled round.

"_Sky_?"

"Hi. Truce, remember?" She continued at his astounded look. "Can't let my new ally become a stain on the ice."

"T-thanks…" He mentally slapped himself. "How-? I thought…" He looked around again. The artic conditions here were alright for him, but she was shivering chronically. "Why are you here? You hate the cold."

"I don't know. I just had a feeling to come and see North and then you were falling from the sky and- did you really steal his sleigh?"

"I had every intention of bringing it back in one piece."

"You've done a smashing job."

"Funny." He looked back at the wreckage, despair eradicating all tumbling through his mind. "North's going to kill me."

"I saw the nightmare stuff. It wasn't your fault."

"Cal! Sky!" North was rushing towards them, having heard the almighty collision. He paled at the sight of his sleigh, broken beyond repair and recognition. "What… what…" He stammered.

"North, I'm so sorry!" Cal pushed himself shakily to his feet. "Mam was worried about Dad and I didn't know what to do! I was bringing it back and… nightmares, they just appeared out of nowhere and-" North held his hand up and Cal faltered, convinced North was going to start shouting at him.

"It's true, North." Sky managed through chattering teeth. North shed his coat and wrapped it about her. "Thank you." She smiled, pulling the large coat about herself and relishing its warmth. She explained the events calmly. Cal thought it was best to stay quiet, but he felt on the verge of exploding.

North was very quiet once Sky had fallen silent. He looked at Cal, seeing how the small boy's frame trembled from the fear that was evident on his eyes.

"It was accident, Cal." He assured. "Not your fault." Cal stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. "Come. Let me show you something." North directed him and Sky towards the workshop. Cal felt ready to collapse at any second. Was North going to take him to a room where _really_ naughty children got locked away? His mother had always mentioned it while he had been growing up and pushing his boundaries, but he had never believed it to be a real place until now.

Sky was trying not to laugh. It was mean of her, but the petrified look Cal wore was nearly enough to send her into hysterics. He looked ready to drop dead at any second.

That was a bad phrase.

Cal stopped walking about five minutes later, swivelling on his heel and away from them. He made it three steps before his knees gave way and he fell to the floor.

North was there first. "Cal!" He called.

"Shock?" Sky suggested.

"No." North gathered Cal in his arms and Sky saw the twisted grimace contorting her ally's features. "Get Tooth and Jack." He told her. Sky nodded, slipping from his coat and taking flight.

North hurried Cal along the corridor and to the workshop. He ordered a yeti to clear the workbench and set Cal on it. All work dragged to a halt. Two yetis held Cal still as gently as they could as the boy writhed with pain. They fired garbled questions at North, but he only ordered them to remain with Cal.

Rushing to the globe, North's hands danced across the control panel. He pulled and twisted the lever, activating the Northern Lights.

Sandy and Bunny arrived within minutes. Jack, Tooth and Sky shortly afterwards.

"What's happened?" Tooth demanded. She saw her son pinned down to the workbench and let out a strangled half-cry, half-scream. She pulled away from Jack and hassled to her son's side. "Cal!"

Sandy popped up opposite her and took Cal's hand, but dropped it a second later, shaking his hand as if he had received an electric shock. "What is it?!" Tooth commanded, waving away the yetis and holding her son close.

An image of Pitch appeared above Sandy's head and Sky was prompted into repeating the sleigh incident.

"Oh, so that's what that was." Jack mumbled, more to himself than anyone else. Before any other reactions were given, though, Cal cried out and sat upright. He gripped his mother's hand and she gasped, flexing her wings.

Cal's eyes rolled back in his head and he fell back. Tooth cradled him in her arms, crying out in alarm as colour drained from his hair, replaced with a dark brown…

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**I've kind of mashed my ideas together so you could get an update tonight! So… what have I done this time? :D **


	23. Chapter 23

**To zerocchi- oh gods, don't die! That's my characters' job! :D But I'm super happy that you thought it was funny! :3**

* * *

"My… my wings…" Tooth peered over her shoulder as best she could, Emily and Baby Tooth working together to gently remove the bandages. Her wings glittered as she gave them a test flutter. Both were whole and shining, as if no damage had ever occurred.

She stared back at her son, agape. "How- what-? Cal, can you hear me?" She tapped his cheek in an effort to get some sort of response, but he had fallen into a deep sleep, according to Sandy. Jack had left to talk to the Man in the Moon, although Tooth expected him to skip the 'talking' bit and launch straight into a rant.

Taking Cal's hand, her eyes scanned his new appearance. His hair was still that deep brown and she hadn't managed to revive him with telepathy as she had when evil-Jack had struck him with his powers.

But he was getting warmer.

She had every reason to panic, but she was more confused than anything else. Whenever Jack or Cal got too warm, they became groggy and uncomfortable; both of which would be evident on their expressions, whether they were conscious or not. Cal was warming up, yes, but there were no signs of discomfort about him whatsoever and this enticed her confusion.

Why would he get warmer and not be in distress about it?

Jack returned half an hour later, fuming as he crashed through the window. The second his feet touched the floor, ice spiralled out in sharp, abnormal patterns; smothering the floor in a matter of heartbeats. He didn't seem to notice, not even when the ice crawled up the walls and over every object in the way.

Tooth straightened and examined him worriedly. "Jack, what did he say?"

"He didn't." She noticed that his free hand was clenched into a fist and a blustering wind chilled the room further. Tooth left her son's side to calm him, catching him in a hug. "Your wing's better." She managed a smile, fighting the urge to shiver uncontrollably. He was a lot colder than usual.

"Cal did it, but I'm not sure how." He bunched his jaw, but said nothing. "Listen to me," Tooth urged, "Calm down so we can think this through properly. I don't need you rushing off in a fit of temper."

"OK, OK…" He agreed reluctantly. Tooth brushed her fingers through his hair, attempting to tame it like she always did when she was unsure. Of course, his hair returned to its naturally dishevelled state, but it was comforting for both of them.

Jack caught her gently by the wrist, staring at her pleadingly. Tooth's hands shook as she held his face in them, the memory of his last moments hitting home just as brutishly as they had done thirteen years ago. "What do we do?" Jack asked quietly, his soft tone bringing about a sense of immense relief for her. This was now, he was back. This was not thirteen years ago and he wasn't going anywhere.

She opened her mouth to admit that she didn't know when Baby Tooth squeaked urgently. Emily joined in seconds later, as did the other few fairies that were currently present.

Jack frowned in confusion. "What are they saying?" Tooth didn't answer, eagerness blazing in her eyes as she grabbed his shoulders.

"We've got to get back to the Tooth Palace!"

"What? Why?"

"I'll explain on the way, but hurry!" She rushed back to Cal, hooking her arm about his shoulders.

"I'll carry him." Jack offered, leaving her no choice but to oblige. She got possession of his staff as he easily scooped Cal up in his arms. They flew from the room, the fairies crowding about them and flying as fast as they could to keep up.

Sky watched as they left, curiosity trying to encourage her to follow, but duty taking over as she looked around at the frozen state Jack had left North's eastern workshop in. First the sleigh, now this? North wouldn't be happy at all.

Despite her better judgement and previous arguments, she set about carefully melting all traces of ice and evaporating water from the floor with bursts of heat. Thankfully, nothing caught fire or had any traces of extreme heat. It was then, and only then, did she go after the Frosts and fairies.

She was two hours behind them, but she reached the Tooth Palace in time for the action.

Cal was still asleep, settled on his bed in his newly decorated and clean room. Jack stood guard over him, pacing irritably. Tooth and her fairies were elsewhere at that moment, but Jack's impatience showed her that he was waiting for them to come back, so there was a plan of sorts.

"Sky?"

"Hi."

"What are you doing here?"

"What happened to Cal?"

"I don't know. A certain lunar _somebody_ can't be bothered to answer." The way he growled 'somebody' gave her a better understanding of how annoyed he was and of what he wanted to say about the Man in the Moon. She made a mental note to stay in his good books for the time being.

"Where's Tooth?"

"She's getting something."

"What?" He shrugged. "Could you not do that thing with the cold?" He furrowed his brow at her. "You know, where Cal got too hot and… you made him cold again."

"Oh. No, I did think about doing that, but…" He trailed over, looking uncertain.

"But what?" He motioned at Cal and, even though they had only just sealed a truce, she stepped forward. She felt his forehead and was shocked to see that he was suitably warm. "Warm. Why is he warm?"

"I don't know."

Tooth hustled into the room that second, holding one of her teeth collection boxes.

"Found it!" She declared happily.

"Cal's?" Jack quizzed. She nodded eagerly in confirmation and landed next to Sky.

"Your wing! It's better!" Tooth looked from Sky to Jack and back again. Seeing that Sky was oblivious to what had happened, she explained as best she could.

"Then his hair changed to that colour and he's sleeping."

"Definitely sleeping?" They both nodded. "And what are the teeth for?"

"It's not the teeth." Tooth elaborated kindly. "They harbour the best memories of childhood."

"Oh! So… what? Are you going to use that to wake Cal?"

"I'm going to try. Now shush, I need to concentrate." Tooth turned back to her son and lifted his hand gingerly by the wrist, setting his fingers on the tooth box. The diamonds on the top glowed a light blue in turn, a light that rippled across Cal and ruffled his freshly darker hair. Tooth had her eyes closed in concentration. Jack was watching interestedly, Baby Tooth and Emily on either shoulder. When had they got here?

Cal sighed and smiled, but there was no other reaction. Tooth relented a good fifteen minutes later, her shoulders slouching in defeat. She held the box to her chest, biting her bottom lip as tears filled her eyes. "Maybe it just needs time…" She breathed. Jack stepped forward and encased her in a one-armed hug. "I don't know what to do!" Tooth wailed. "Manny's not helping, the memories aren't working! What now?" She looked frantically at Jack, tears falling thick and free.

"Manny?"

"Man in the Moon." Jack translated.

"I can try and talk to him, if you want." The two Guardians shared cautious glances. If Manny hadn't talked to Jack, would he talk to Sky?

"I guess anything's worth a try right now." Tooth said quietly. Jack nodded curtly in agreement. Sky hurried to the window and jumped out, shooting up and reaching the highest point of the Tooth Palace in seconds. Turning to face the Moon, she projected her voice a fraction.

"What happened to Cal?" She demanded fiercely.

_So you worry about him now?_

"No! But Jack and Tooth are off their game at the moment and we can't risk that! Look what happened last time things went off schedule!" Manny was silent and Sky hoped that he was contemplating the first war against Pitch. "What's going on?!"

But Manny wouldn't answer, not matter how many questions she threw his way in that forty minutes. She only stopped when Jack came up to check on her. "He's not answering!" She raged, glaring at the Moon. "You idiot! You're risking two Guardians and their son and you can't be bothered to answer! How selfish is that?!"

"Sky, come on."

"I'm not done yet!"

"No point causing more trouble." She made to argue, but there was a look in Jack's eyes.

Tooth's anguish had reflected onto him and, just for that brief moment she could see his eyes, he was vulnerable with apprehension for his son.

Reluctantly and with a final scowl at the Moon, Sky followed him back inside.

"Anything?" Tooth asked instantly, hope flitting through her eyes. Sky didn't have the heart to answer, but it must have been clear on her face as Tooth was suddenly on the verge of tears again. "There has to be some explanation!" She declared angrily, her voice quavering as she fought the effort to sob. "Why isn't Manny saying anything?! He can't just ignore this!"

Cal murmured something in his sleep and rolled onto his side, tangling himself in his bedding. They had all heard what he had said and it bought small smiles all around: "What a stinker…"

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**Um… I hope this is OK. I mostly forgot my ideas because I came up with a Harry Potter/Percy Jackson one-shot and most of the other stuff went poof, bye! **

**I'll try and update properly tomorrow though! :D **


	24. Chapter 24

Tooth frowned over her shoulder, opening and closing her wings experimentally. For the past week, she had done this, trying to figure out what Cal had done. He was still asleep and there was no change to his new appearance. His hair was still that dark brown and, although it suited him, it wasn't right.

"Tooth, your fairies are telling me off." Jack entered, looking worriedly over his shoulder. "I can't find teeth." He finished, catching her gaze.

"It's OK." Tooth assured. "Thank you for trying though." He smiled, catching her about the waist with the twisted end of his staff and pulling her to him. "You may be cold, but your hugs are the best." Laughter rumbled in his chest and he hugged her back.

"Your hugs aren't that bad either." She smacked his chest. The cheek of him!

"I better go and sort my fairies out before they riot."

"They riot?"

"They will against you."

"That I'd like to see…" He raised his staff, but she stopped him before he froze her in place. "Oh, come on, Tooth! Would they use teeth as weapons or toothpicks?"

"Jack! You are not encouraging my fairies into a riot!" He opened his mouth to reply, but she shut him up with a quick kiss. "_Behave_," She warned, "And let me know if anything changes." She cast a final look at Cal, fighting the urge to cry again.

"Hey." Jack tucked his hand amongst the feathers covering her head. "It'll be OK."

"How'd you know that?" She challenged instantly. Jack kissed her forehead.

"I'm positive. And stubborn."

"You got that right." She scoffed. Sighing, she smoothed her feathers, gave him a final kiss goodbye and left to organise her miniscule troops.

Jack half-expected her to return for whatever reason, but she didn't. He took her seat on the edge of the bed and took up watch over their son. Other than the odd, incoherent murmur and the fidgeting, Cal hadn't really shown any signs of being himself. He was currently lying sideways across his bed, partially on his side with an arm behind his head and his feet propped up on the edge of the bed. The blanket and bed sheets had been pulled up by his excessive moment and were coiled around him.

"Ba, ba, ba…" Cal murmured, squirming and feebly punching the air. "Mmm… Manny…" Jack leant forward in his seat, curious to see if Cal would say anything useful. Cal didn't though; quacking, rolling on his side and dozing on.

Jack must have fallen asleep as he was shaken awake by Father Knowledge and it was nearly dawn outside.

"Hello!" Father Knowledge beamed. "I knew I'd find you here."

"The perks of being overly smart." Jack sat up straight and stretched.

"I always seem to find you asleep." Father Knowledge studied him for a moment and then his face lit up. "Oh!" He produced a large, leather bound book. "I found this down the far end of the library. Is it of any use?" Jack took the book, sure that it was heavier than it looked. He set it in his lap and read the title.

_Fairies_.

Gee, helpful.

He opened to the contents page and skimmed over them. Towards the bottom it said '_Wings_'.

Father Knowledge beamed at him encouragingly. Jack skipped to the suitable page and started reading. "How is Tooth, by the way? I haven't seen her today."

"Cal fixed her wing."

"_What_?" But Jack didn't reply, having found something of use.

_A broken wing is a deadly crisis for any fairy. There is only one known cure, yet it comes with even greater risks. A loved one, considering they possess immortal traits, must offer some of their eternal years to power a broken wing into healing. _

"Cal is immortal though."

"Yes, but he has only lived for seventeen years. You've lived for three hundred and forty seven." **(I don't know if this is right, so just go with it :P )**

"Hey, don't remind me." Jack read the paragraph again and then looked at his son. "What does that mean for Cal then?" Father Knowledge bit his lip, reluctance swarming across his features. "Tell me." Jack commanded.

"Well… he obviously isn't as old as you or any of the other Guardians for that matter."

"So, any of us could have done it?"

"Considering they're as close to Tooth as you are." Jack frowned. "Not in a romantic way, obviously. More… familial ties."

"Right. And how did Cal do it?"

"It's like what you did when Cal over-heated, but with years instead of cold."

"That doesn't make sense."

"Oh, it does. Imagine it like giving up five years or so of your life; memories, good or bad, and everything that accumulated within you in that time being transferred into energy."

"Um… OK?"

"It's easier to transfer through physical contact and a close relationship." Jack just nodded, not sure what to say. "How young Cal discovered it, I'm not entirely sure yet, but he's now put himself at risk."

"Is there a way to get him back?"

"Well, had you done it, there wouldn't be such a problem. As he is far younger than you, he has less years to offer. With you, it'd be a minor bump in the road, but this has thoroughly unhinged Cal."

"He'll be OK though, right?" Again, that reluctance, stronger than before. Jack fired Father Knowledge a warning look.

"That depends on if we can wake him up."

"_If_?" Jack growled. Knowledge held his hands up to show that he hadn't meant to be so negative, but he was seriously starting to test Jack now- to the point of it starting to snow.

"The longer he stays asleep, the more his immortality is at risk."

"_What_?" Jack didn't sound as angry this time. Instead, he was horrified. "He can't lose his immortality!"

"That's what's happening." Knowledge kept his voice as calm as he could, but the room was getting gradually colder the more frustrated Jack became. "General and I shall research it as best we can, but this is new. I have not heard of one of us losing immortality, even a second generation one of us. My best suggestion would be to ask the Man in the Moon."

"He doesn't answer!"

"Jack, calm down!" Tooth was back now. "What's the matter?" Jack was taking ragged, deep breaths in an attempt to ease his temper, simultaneously racking his brains on how to break this to her gently.

She grabbed the front of his hoodie and met his gaze with fiery determination. "Jack…" She cautioned threateningly.

He didn't have the heart to tell her.

Father Knowledge did though, but he may have been slightly concerned that she looked ready to strangle Jack for keeping her in the dark when there was clearly something wrong. She had been on her way to check on him and Cal when she had heard him shouting.

Tooth's grip went slack and tears filled her eyes. The more she heard, the more upset she got.

"Bottom line, he's at risk of losing his immortality and if we don't think of something soon, he won't last long."

"No…" Tooth moaned, tears escaping. Jack did his best to comfort her in a hug, but she barely noticed. Every thought was consumed by the danger her son was now in.

* * *

**Some of you guessed right, but come on! SPOILERS, much! :P **

**This was so much better in my head this morning. I really hope it's alright though! **


	25. Chapter 25

**Eve Hallows is not mine, she is Goodoreviangel-yourchoice's.**

* * *

"Alarms, shouting, loud noises…" Jack listed.

"Throw him out the window."

"Bunny!"

"It's just a suggestion!"

"Jack, don't you dare laugh!"

"I'm not." Jack snickered, badly concealing his laughter in the crook of his elbow. Tooth watched him sternly until his amusement subsided.

"Throw him on the floor then if the window ain't good enough." Bunny shrugged.

"He has fallen off his bed six times in the last two days. Do you really think throwing him on it will work?" Bunny and Jack shared challenging glances, humour blazing in their eyes. "Ugh," Tooth threw her hands up in defeat, "_Men_." She fluttered off, hearing their laughter erupt as soon as they thought she wasn't paying attention.

"Tooth, are you alright?"

"Why are men such idiots, Eve?" Eve gave a grim, knowing smile.

"Just their nature really, isn't it?" Eve was a petite girl, forever fifteen. Her raven hair was pulled back tightly into a high ponytail and her brown-green eyes glittered with a mischievousness that could rival Cal and Jack on the best of days. As always, she was dressed in some form of Halloween costume- today, she was a dark fairy, fake wings included. She wore an artistically torn black and scarlet short skirt that had several ruffling layers and a black sleeveless top that clung to her athletic frame.

"So, what brings you here?"

"Oh, Halloween is _ages_ away and I've got nothing else to do." Tooth looked at her expectantly, just about hiding her smile. "And, you know, worried about Tim."

"_Cal_. Where on Earth did you get Tim from?"

"I'm not sure." She drummed her fingers on her chin thoughtfully. "Oh well. Madness is madness, who cares?" Tooth rolled her eyes. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Unless you know how to restore immortality, then no, not a lot."

"_Restore immortality_?" Eve choked. Tooth sighed and dejectedly explained the latest scenario.

"And if we don't wake him up, he…" Tooth's voice caught then and she couldn't let her emotions stay in check much longer. Her mind conjured an image of her son, awake and smiling that cheeky smile that she adored and disliked at the same time. For thirteen years, he was all she had left of Jack and she couldn't lose him now.

Eve looked sympathetic.

"I know I'm not the sharpest tool in the box, but… have you tried talking to him?" Tooth nodded, wiping at her eyes. An arm went loosely around her neck and she recognised Jack's chilling presence. Eve hesitated and uncertainty flashed through her eyes. "I heard about that telepathic thing you can do. Did that work with him?"

"Once, but it doesn't now."

"Memories?" Both of them shook their heads. Eve was running out of options to avoid something she had avoided doing for nearly five hundred years. "Mind if I try something?"

"What?" Jack asked cautiously.

"Now if I told you that, I'd have to kill you." Neither of them looked too impressed. "Huh. Normally I get a plea for mercy, but OK." She shrugged.

"What do you want to do?" Tooth quizzed.

"Well…" She ran through a series of cryptic explanations in her mind, but nothing sounded overly suitable or convincing. "Scare him." She settled with.

"Scare him?"

"_Hello_, Halloween spirit here. I, quite happily, can conjure up anyone's worst nightmare into a living thing."

"But if he's asleep, he's not going to see it." Jack pointed out.

"Don't be such a party pooper, Jack." He stared at her, insulted. She gave a merry, sarcastic laugh and swiftly left the room, a slight skip in her step.

She found Tim's- no, _Cal's_- room easily, waltzing right in and getting a bit of a surprise to see he was lying on the floor. She nudged him experimentally with her foot, but he was still asleep.

Hands on her hips, she frowned down at him. "I'm not picking you up." Cal dozed on peacefully. "Fine, stubborn git." She knelt and sat on her heels, resting her hand on his chest and feeling his heart beating slowly beneath her palm.

Glancing over her shoulder to check that Tooth and Jack weren't going to run in at any second, she mentally scolded herself for what she was about to do.

She closed her eyes in concentration. Instantly, she felt the power humming through her fingers and casting a sickening chill in her very essence. Cal complained, but, thankfully, didn't fidget away.

Footsteps bought her away from her work and she hurriedly got to her feet and started to drag Cal back onto the bed. He was lighter than he looked, but that still didn't make her job any easier. Apparently, he liked the floor more than the feather soft bed.

Jack laughed when he saw her struggling and didn't even bother moving at all to help. Tooth scolded him with a glower, but he was much happier watching someone else have difficulty getting a defiant sleeper back onto his bed.

Tooth took pity and moved forward, lifting Cal's legs and setting him the right way round on his bed. Eve huffed.

"You OK?"

"That should be an Olympic sport."

"And it should be on camera too."

"Jack!" He held his hands up in surrender instantly, but the gleam in his eyes told Tooth not to turn her back on him. "Did you have any ideas then?" Tooth asked Eve over her shoulder, keeping a close eye on Jack.

"Um… not really, but I'll go and put a bit more thought into it." She sighed contentedly. "Might go and terrorise a few cleaners; that always cheers me up."

"Can I come?" Jack smiled interestedly.

"No, you cannot!" Tooth replied crossly. Jack looked at Eve over the fairy's head, like _do you see what I have to put up with_? Eve just giggled.

"Well, I better get going. Lots of thinking to do." Eve edged around the bed and them, backing out of the door. "Sorry I couldn't stay longer, but I can't think with too much happiness around me." They looked at her bewilderedly. "I like suffering and fresh, rich fear. You can't blame me for being out of my element here."

Then she did something that Jack wanted to do.

She turned into a bat.

"No, Jack." Tooth said before he even managed to say anything.

"But… it's… that's… I want to do that!" The bat smiled and winked at him, loop-the-looping before flapping off down the hall. "Why can't I do that too?"

"You're a winter spirit, not a Halloween one!"

"But it's awesome! Like me!" Tooth smacked herself in the forehead. In all the years that she had and would live, she would forever be confused as to how and why she had gotten with Jack Frost and remained with him.

_His teeth_, her brain reminded her.

_You love him, you love him_! Her heart sang childishly.

_Duh, soul-mates_. That was a new voice, one Tooth couldn't quite place.

A thud and Jack's laughter bought her from her thoughts. She turned and saw Cal had fallen out of the bed again.

* * *

Eve landed on the steps of her castle in human form. Flicking her fringe from her eyes, she stared up at her abode. The locals had called it a haunted castle and, indeed, it was.

She flicked her fingers at the big lock and the door swung open on creaky hinges. If any of the villagers was to wander in here, they would find the whole set up a classical haunted mansion with a fear factor a thousand times stronger than any horror movie. But with her here, it was sparkling clean and elegant, even if it was a bit Gothic.

Breathing in the spicy, wood smoke smell, she smiled to herself. Her heart pounded at the mere thought of what she had nearly done to save Cal. Had she not heard his parents approaching, there would have been severe consequences.

"Still keeping me a secret, are we?" She raised her chin defiantly as Pee-Boo strolled down the stairs and towards her, as casually as if this were his home.

"You've no business here! Leave!" She ordered, throwing her hands up in her anger.

"You could have saved the Frost brat. But you didn't. Pride wouldn't let you." He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"It wasn't pride!"

"Oh?" He smirked. "That's not what it looked like to me."

"Well, you're an idiot!"

"After five hundred years, I'd have thought you would have better insults." He laughed. Eve bunched her fists, trembling in anger. "Temper, temper." He cooed condescendingly.

"Pick a window." She growled. "You're leaving."

"And you're going to make me?" Pitch chortled mockingly. "You've never been able to beat me, dear sister."

* * *

**IT WASN'T MY IDEA, I SWEAR! **


	26. Chapter 26

Eve returned the next day. She was her cheeky and violent self as usual, but she did seem a bit-

"Jumpy."

"I am?"

"Very." Jack agreed. "I've never managed to sneak up on you before."

"Is everything alright?" Tooth asked kindly, waving her hand at Jack to quieten him. Jack froze her elbow in response.

"Oh, I'm fine. Just a bit of a long night, is all." Tooth didn't look convinced, so Eve hurried onto the more pressing matter. "I thought of how to help, Cal, but you're going to have to leave. I need to concentrate." She added quickly at the protestation on their faces.

"Alright, alright, _fine_. But… if anything happens, you'll get us, right?" Tooth's disagreement had been replaced with worry.

"Of course I will." Eve reassured. Tooth and Jack shared doubtful glances, a silent conversation passing between them. He gave a small nod and her shoulders slouched in surrender.

"Thank you." Tooth said in a small voice, walking miserably out. Jack smiled his gratefulness and followed his partner out, closing the door quietly behind him.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Eve turned to face Cal. He was lying on his stomach across his bed, one arm tucked under his head and the other dangling over the edge, his fingertips centimetres from the floor.

Eve, with some difficulty, rolled him onto his back, nearly throwing him off the bed in the process.

"Why," She growled, "are you so _heavy_?" A line of drool trickled down his cheek and onto his pillow. "Oh, great, just great." She wiped it away with his blanket, grimacing in disgust.

Glancing over her shoulder, she made sure there were no shadows lurking beneath the door. Good. Tooth and Jack were leaving her be.

Resting her hand on his chest, like she had last time, she felt the steady and calm beat of his heart. Pushing with her senses, she recognised it instantly.

There was darkness in his heart.

A small amount and not overly serious, but it explained why he wasn't waking up.

She silently cursed her wretched brother and closed her eyes to focus better. He tensed and uttered a minor complaint, but kept still other than that.

A vast coldness descended over her and something wicked pulse at the edge of her mind. Her fingers tingled and numbed, the horrible sensation progressively making its way up her arm. Cal arched his back and groaned in pain, but she had nearly finished.

He awoke with a strangled gasp, throwing out his hand and sending her back a few feet. She landed in a heap on the floor, surprised at his strength. Scrambling to her feet and hurrying back to his side, she wrestled with him to stop fighting his bed sheets. "Stop it!" She ordered through gritted teeth. He tried to push her off in blind panic, but they ended up toppling to the floor instead.

They landed in a heap with a heavy thud, a tangle of limbs and, embarrassingly, him on top of her. Eve heard the door handle click.

"Cal?" Jack appeared on the bed and managed to pull his son from Eve, disentangling them easily. "Cal, it's alright! It's just me." Cal froze and stared blearily at his father. "Eve, are you OK?"

"Bumps and bruises." She waved it off. Jack held Cal in one arm and extended his other, pulling her graciously to her feet.

"Cal!" Eve stood back as Tooth darted forward, literally wrenching her son from Jack's arms and crushing him in a hug.

"Wh-?" Cal gasped, trying to think through the last mists of unconsciousness and his mother's repetitive and grateful chants to Eve. He noticed something over his mother's shoulder. "Wing…" He managed.

"You fixed it, Cal." Jack explained kindly, laying a hand on Cal's shoulder.

"You should probably get him something to eat." Eve suggested. "He might react a bit better then." Tooth nodded and Jack eased Cal from her hold. Together, they helped Cal to his feet, but it was like teaching him to walk for the first time.

Eve was just about to follow them out the door when it swung shut of its own accord.

"So you did save the brat."

"Go away, Pitch." She snarled, clenching her fists.

"Of all the things you could use your powers for, it had to be good."

"I'm not going to help you ruin things for kids!"

"But don't you scare them as well?" He smirked. She was saved from replying by a vibrant golden orb smashing through the window without breaking it.

The glow struck the floor and exploded in upwards in a column of flames. Pitch recoiled further into the shadows, scowling.

Sky materialised, glowering as much as her flames.

"What are you doing here?!" She demanded, staring Pitch down. He didn't answer, vanishing into the darkness. Sky rounded on the next available option. "Are you working with him?!"

"No!"

"Where's Cal?!"

"With his parents." She opened her mouth to fire another question at her, but Eve cut across and explained, cutting out the bit about her Pitch-Black-like powers and her relation to the Nightmare King.

"You… woke him up?"

"Don't sound so surprised." Eve grumbled.

"Why was Pitch here then?"

"You know he's got it in for Tim. Cal, I mean." Sky frowned. Eve feared that she suspected that that wasn't the whole truth, but Sky had already flounced from the room. Eve studied her surroundings, but the lingering darkness had gone.

Cal was sat at a dining table Eve didn't even know the Tooth Palace had. His hands were shaking chronically as he struggled to peel an orange, but he was insistent on doing it himself. In front of him lay a banana peel and a small pile of apple seeds, alongside a half-full clay pitcher of water and an equally full glass.

"Sky? When did you get here?" Tooth greeted the summer spirit like an old friend, hugging her first and then Eve. "Thank you." She breathed.

"Happy to help."

"Ew! Ow, that stings!" Jack burst into laughter.

"Jack, don't laugh! Help him!" Cal was wiping at his eyes tiresomely with his sleeves, the orange squashed and forgotten on the table.

Cal was fine a minute later, having had water thrown in his eyes by his mother- that actually helped. He reached for the pitcher to refill his glass, shaking water from his hair. His hands still trembled as he poured himself a drink, ignoring the puddle spreading across the table.

He got the shock of his life when he raised the glass.

_Why was his hair dark_?

His parents exchanged 'uh oh' looks and he met their gazes demandingly.

"Well… there was a slight… _problem_… with you fixing your mam's wings." Jack started carefully, looking at Tooth imploringly. Together, they worked their way through explaining events to him, wording it as gently as they could. They didn't need him panicking on top of everything.

He looked from one to the other, not believing a word of it.

When no-one denied it, his face sunk.

"I… I'm… _mortal_?"

"But we're working on reversing it." Jack tried.

"_How_?!" Cal exasperated. They didn't answer for a full minute, not quite meeting his gaze. He folded his arms and placed them on the table, hiding his face in them.

"Cal…" Tooth took tentative steps towards him. "We will find a way." She soothed, her arm around his shoulders. "Come on, you need to get up and about. You've been sleeping for quite a while and you need to get some exercise." Cal just nodded, all fight gone from him. Jack moved forward and supported Cal on the other side.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I kind of feel sorry for him." Sky laughed to herself. "I'm going mad, that's what that is."

"There is nothing wrong with madness."

"So you say."

"And that's a bad thing?" Sky raised an eyebrow at her. "Watch it, Miss High and Mighty. I'm literally your worst nightmare." Sky smirked, but Eve had found something else. "You like Cal!"

"I do not!" Sky protested.

"You do!"

"No, April and Amber like him, not me! We've just about set up a truce!" Sky narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you like him?"

"Well, he's interesting. Not a nice sleeper, but he's alright."

"Oh, so you _do_ like him?" Sky gave a triumphant laugh.

"Not in that way! Have you not seen how he sleeps? You'd be booted out the bed before you're even in it."

"You want to get in the bed?"

"Shut up!" Sky just dissolved into giggles.

* * *

**He's awake! Voila! :D**


	27. Chapter 27

"Oh, come on!"

"Jack!"

"All these books and nothing!"

"Nothing _yet_." Tooth stressed. Jack was slowly losing patience with the endless volumes in Father Time's warm library. Tooth figured that the heat that was nice enough for her was a bit too much for Jack and could be part of the reason as to why he was so frustrated. Cal himself had found the warmth nice enough, having given into sleep while curled in a vintage arm chair. A book lay forgotten in his lap, his head on his chest as he mumbled tiresomely to himself.

Baby Tooth, Emily and a few of their sisters wrestled another book from the shelf, nearly plummeting to the floor at its sudden unsupported weight. They managed though, pushing themselves up into the air and flying over haphazardly.

Tooth took pity, fluttering forwards and removing the book from them. They looked relieved, but she was distracted by the clock chiming ten. Cal awoke with a start, book tumbling from his lap and landing on the floor with a dull thud.

"Evening." Jack muttered.

"I've got to go," Tooth told them. She set the book on the table, wrapping her arms around Jack's neck and kissing his forehead. "Behave." She told him, moving towards her son. "And you."

"Mam, I'm lovely."

"I'll believe that when I see it." She messed his hair and left, her fairies swarming after her. Cal sat up straighter, rubbing exhaustion from his face.

"I don't get why you're so tired. All you did was sleep for three weeks." Cal shrugged his own confusion and got up, unsteadily making his way to his father and sinking into the chair next to him.

"What's that thing the mortals use?" He asked quietly, dejectedly pulling another book towards him. "Goggle or Yatch or… Ikipeda."

"Those probably aren't right, you know." Jack chuckled. Cal smiled in agreement. "We could always ask Jamie though, when we next see him."

"Is he still with… uh… Tana?"

"Tiana."

"Her." Jack nodded. "I seriously think Cupid got involved there. Oh, this one isn't even in English."

"It is. You've got it upside down."

"I knew that." Cal mumbled, flipping the book round. "It's still not in English." Jack peered over his book, bemused. By 'not in English', Cal meant 'not in English Cal could understand'.

Cal looked up and scanned the room. "Where's Father Knowledge when you need a translator?" The doors burst open as the words left his lips and he looked eagerly round.

Sadly, it was only General Knowledge.

Jack sunk in his chair, placing the book in front of him so he couldn't see General at all. Unfortunately, this didn't work the other way.

"Frost!" General boomed. "Sit up straight! Do you have no spine?" Cal looked at his father in incomprehension, but he wasn't even being subtle about it. "And you!" General grabbed him by the upper arm and Cal was yanked from his chair.

"Leave him alone!" Jack ordered, throwing aside the book and snatching up his staff.

"The boy needs to learn to stand up for himself!" General argued. Cal figured that the only volume General could do was extra-thunderous-loud. "Boy!" He roared in Cal's ear, making Cal jump. "Just like your father! Slouching and irresponsible!"

"We've got a bigger problem than not standing up straight." Cal told him.

"Oh, really?"

"General, that is quite enough! Leave them alone!" General clenched his jaw in irritation, but stood back. Father Knowledge had arrived, thank the stars. "I told you not to harass them." Father Knowledge looked apologetically at Jack and Cal. "Found anything yet?" He asked, his tone considerably softer. Cal snatched his book up.

"Confusion." He replied simply. "That and this room's too warm to stay awake in. How'd you manage?"

"Too warm? Oh moon and stars, that slipped my mind! Jack, I'm sorry. If you had said you were too warm, I'd have put the fires out."

"I'm fine, really." Jack assured, although it was obvious he wasn't overly happy with the heat of the cavernous room.

"Let him get on with it." General grunted. Jack levelled his staff and wintery power crackled along it and up his arm.

"Dad, what did talk about when it comes to ignoring the mentally challenged?" Jack's annoyance at General faltered and then vanished as he snickered. General fumed at the pair of them, but, on Father Knowledge's insistence, left the room.

"Would you really have frozen him?"

"Head to foot." Jack confirmed, turning to examine the teetering piles of books on the table and about his seat.

"Well, he wouldn't have been able to tell you his idea then."

"_General_ got an _idea_?" Jack gaped. Cal stifled laughter as Knowledge allowed himself an amused smile. "I thought that guy stuck to books and facts and stuff. Original ideas don't sound like him."

"It came up in a debate."

"What is it then?"

"Cal is a second generation Guardian, as you're aware." Jack sent him a 'duh' look. "How did you and Toothiana become immortal?"

"I died." Jack said as casual as anything.

"Yeah, let's keep that one off the option list." Cal wrung his hands nervously. Jack grinned impishly at him.

"And Toothiana?" Father Knowledge implored. Jack hesitated. "Surely you must know, Jackson!"

"Just Jack." Jack grumbled. "And no, I don't know. She doesn't want to say and I don't want to push her." Knowledge just nodded in understanding.

"Very well. After you died, how did you become Jack Frost?"

"I… remember waking up in a lake." Jack explained haltingly.

"Which lake?" Knowledge demanded before he had the chance to continue. Jack stared at him, perplexed. "Come on!" He persisted. Jack stammered something about a lake not far from his home town, only for the older man to grab them both by the arms and drag them from the room.

"Hey, I like my arm on my body!" Jack told him. "What are you doing?"

"We're off to drown your son!"

"I said dying wasn't an option!" Cal started struggling. Knowledge stopped and looked back worriedly. Jack pulled his arm free.

"Cal, it's fine. I won't let him drown you, don't worry." But Cal kept a distance from Knowledge for the rest of the journey, clinging to his father as they flew through the air on a cold wind. Knowledge was with them, defying logic and gravity by flying alongside them without an explanation of how.

They reached Burgess within the hour, alighting gently on the frozen lake. The ice thickened upon contact with Jack; a bluer, swirling pattern folding out across the iced surface. Cal's grip was still painfully tight on his arm. Jack had lost count how many times he'd told his son that Knowledge wouldn't kill him, wherever Jack was there or not.

"Maybe if we were to put Cal in the water- it could remind him of his Frost powers."

"No!" Cal protested weakly, trembling all over.

"We won't let you drown." Father Knowledge took a step towards Cal, but Cal darted behind his father and stayed there, watching Knowledge fearfully over his father's shoulder. "Maybe we should get his mother."

"I don't think he's going to let me leave." Jack shifted his arm slightly to indicate the iron-like grip Cal had on his arm. He turned to face his son as best he could, but Cal had gone into full panic mode. "Cal, listen. We won't do anything to hurt you, OK? We just want to help." Jack wasn't sure if Cal had heard him. The boy's eyes were closed and his head bowed as he shook even worse than before.

One arm about Cal's shoulder, Jack pressed his staff into Cal's hands and led him off the ice. Knowledge followed anxiously, his eyes roving about and taking in every inch of his surroundings.

Jack sat Cal down leaning against a tree and sat next to him. "You're an awkward one, aren't you? I'd know what'll make you smile though." He grinned lopsidedly and summoned a snowball. He threw it at the ground and it grew, expanding and thickening into Cal's favourite childhood token.

A tap-dancing snowman.

Cal didn't respond immediately, his head in his arms with the staff leaning against his shoulder. He looked up in curiosity minutes later and he stared at the tap-dancing snowman in amazement.

Of course it made him smile.

Knowledge pulled Jack aside as the snowman started its own Frost-related-humour comedy show, still tap-dancing. Cal was completely oblivious to them.

"It might just work, Jack." Knowledge's eyes gleamed eagerly. "I know he's not entirely up for it, but if we could get him to do it, the lake may revive him."

"And if it doesn't?"

"The Man in the Moon should be of some assistance."

"He hasn't spoken to us since Cal fell asleep."

"Harsh to say this, but he did ignore you for three hundred years. Maybe he just has his reasons this time as he did that time." Jack scowled and looked back at his son, who was beaming and snickering quietly at the snowman.

"Best to get Tooth then." He sighed. "She won't like this you know."

"I know. But it's for the best." Jack left Knowledge where he was and retrieved his staff from Cal.

"Where are you going?" Cal looked stricken instantly.

"Just to get your mam. I'll be back." Jack promised.

"But-" Cal's gaze flicked anxiously towards Knowledge. Jack waved his hand and another five snowmen materialised.

"They'll keep you safe. I won't be long." Cal looked from him to his snowmen guards and then nodded rather reluctantly. For extra measure, Jack turned to Knowledge. "Cal doesn't move from this spot and you're not allowed past the snowmen, OK?"

"Will they attack if I try?" Jack glared at him. "Alright, alright. I'll leave Cal be until you get back." Knowledge met Cal's eye. "I promise."

"Don't worry, Cal. He'll have this lot on his case," He gestured at the snowmen, "if he tries anything." Cal nodded again and Jack took off, feeling a bit guilty for leaving an unsteady Cal with someone he wasn't entirely comfortable with.

But they had a plan now and Jack wasn't going to let it sink.

* * *

**I've got plans for future chapters, kind of. This might not be much, but I didn't have a lot to work with for tonight. Hopefully I can get a better chapter tomorrow! :D **


	28. Chapter 28

"Hold on, why weren't we invited?" Eve landed on the ice in human form. Jack was still jealous about her bat adaption.

"We?" Tooth asked. Eve tilted her head to the side as a fiery golden orb descended, Sky gradually materialising from it. "Sky, wait!" Tooth called, but it was a second too late.

Sky alighted, but the heat from her unique transportation still lingered and the ice beneath her feet melted in a heartbeat. She fell straight into the ice water below, but managed to grab a hold on a jagged bit of ice. She squealed at the violent coldness, scrabbling to pull herself free. Jack and Cal were no help whatsoever, overcome with hysterical giggles.

"I-I-it's n-n-not f-funny!" Sky scolded through chattering teeth. She rested her hand flat on the ice and a sheet of flame melted ice in a straight, blazing path. Cal tumbled into the water too.

"You _cow_!" There was one itty bitty problem with this. Cal couldn't swim.

Tooth rushed to pull him up, but was stopped dead in her tracks by a moon beam slicing down and spotlighting Cal. With a strangled blub, Cal vanished into the dark, watery depths.

"Cal!" Tooth cried. She was all set to dive in, but arms caught her about the waist and Jack hauled her back. "Jack! He'll drown!"

"You'll freeze. And I think Manny's helping now." He added quickly at the irritation strong on her otherwise charming features.

_Yes I am_, a warm voice informed them. _Now, shush. This is the good bit_.

They couldn't see what was going on underwater, but Cal wasn't enjoying it at all. In his panic, he was trying to breathe, but that meant gulping down lungfuls of freezing water. He had no idea how to swim as it was, swirling his arms and kicking his legs pointlessly. Darkness tinged his vision and his lungs screamed at him for oxygen. The only bright thing about this was the moonlight illuminating him and his subaquatic surroundings.

A tingle started in his fingers and worked its way up his arms and along the rest of his body. In less than a minute, every part of him prickled with excitement and an energy he didn't think he'd have with no oxygen.

A whiteout of bubbles exploded fifteen feet above him.

That was the last thing he saw.

Tooth hovered nervously on the ice, hopping about in the water that had flooded onto the surface. Jack had just dived in after Cal, getting annoyed with Manny's silence. He was the only one suitable enough to withstand the cold and Cal had been under there for an approximate five minutes.

Jack broke the surface, spluttering water and dragging Cal up to. Jack grabbed at the ice, a curved handle materialising at his silent command. He, with Tooth's help, heaved Cal onto the ice and then pulled himself up. The melted gouge in the frozen surface healed itself with a series of blue spikes and frost patterns dancing across it.

Cal choked and rolled onto his front, coughing up great amounts of water. Tooth massaged his back, helping to get it all up. Jack shook water from his hair, splashing Tooth with water droplets. She glared at him, but focused on aiding her son.

Eve wasn't sure why, but she had the sudden impression to scare Cal.

Rubbing her hands together, she pushed with her mind and easily plucked Cal's biggest fear from his mind- clowns.

A demonic clown popped from thin air and snarled at Cal, hands raised with his razor-sharp talons dangling and ready to slice Cal to ribbons. His scarlet eyes gleamed fiendishly, paralysing Cal in the spot, a look of pure terror on his face.

The clown lunged at Cal, who scrambled back with a strangled and terrified yell. Tooth and Jack acted together, her punching the clown in the face and him sending a blast of solid winter straight at it.

Jack pounced, knocking the clown clean off its feet and pressing the crook of his staff to its throat, freezing it in place.

"Eve!" Tooth scolded.

"Hey, it worked!" Cal was sat at Knowledge's feet, breathing heavily and staring at the clown with a wild panic, one hand raised weakly in what could only be a very mild form of self-defence.

But the fright had had some effect- his hair was now that familiar shock of white.

"How-?" Sky started.

"I don't know, I just felt like scaring him!" She looked up at the Moon. "That didn't have anything to do with you, did it?"

"Are you alright, my boy?" Knowledge asked kindly, easing Cal to his feet with his hands gently on his elbows.

"Cl-cl-clown…"

"Eve, get rid of it!" Tooth warned. Eve clapped her hands and the clown vanished.

"I was just trying to help." She mumbled.

"Oh, we know you won't be able to do that." Cal tensed and actually hid behind Father Knowledge. Tooth quickly joined him, pulling Cal away as Pitch descended from a swirling mess of nightmare sound and touching down gracefully on the ice.

"What are you doing here?" Eve snarled, bunching her fists.

"I just wanted to know if you're new friends knew how you've really _helped_ the brat."

"Eve, what's he on about?" Jack didn't look round at her, holding his staff at the ready, tension and determination. Eve didn't answer.

"I knew you wouldn't tell them." Pitch smiled victoriously, his eyes glinting similarly. He laughed softly to himself. "I'm not that surprised though. You were always secretive, sister."

* * *

**Sorry it's short, but I haven't really got ideas at the moment.**


	29. Chapter 29

**To ThatFanWarrior- I really should update the others, I know, but I want to finish this one first before anything else. I'm trying to focus on one thing at a time at the moment otherwise I'll forget everything. But I guess I can try one-shots one night, considering I get inspiration. I've got one and a half Harry Potter/ Percy Jackson one-shots if you want me to post those! **

**And Fairy Tall belongs to Anony mouse101, not me.**

* * *

"I might still be lightheaded from nearly drowning, but did he just say you're his _sister_?"

"Sadly." Eve sighed. Pitch tutted mockingly and Eve's anger stormed back. "Shut it, Pitch! I don't want anything to do with you and you know it!"

"Oh?" Pitch looked thoroughly amused. "Why did you use the abilities _I gave you_ then?" Eve coloured furiously. "I mean, you _did_ extract the darkness from Cal's heart that _I _put there and you _did_ scare him back into his senses with the nightmare qualities _I _gave you."

Eve quickly looked at the others, her eyes flitting from one to the next. All of them were agape, with what she hoped was shock and not horror. Cal looked confused, but she decided not to dwell too much on that- from what she heard from Sky, that was his usual expression.

"But she did save Cal." Jack pointed out. Tooth looked less troubled, her expression more obliged to the new discovery. Father Knowledge looked interested and was staring at Eve as if seeing her in a new light.

"That's cool and everything, but I don't like _clowns_." Cal visibly paled at the word. Tooth sent him a reassuring look, but there was very little effect. Cal was still, clearly, on edge. His eyes kept darting to and fro, trying to spot another of the foul demons from the pits of his phobia.

"You don't understand, do you?" Pitch smirked. "She could do all the good in the world, but at the end of the day, all she'll be able to do is cause _hell_." He sneered. "You did help me rule the Dark Ages, nonetheless." Eve opened her mouth to deny it, but there was one teeny tiny problem.

She couldn't lie.

She could avoid telling the truth or not give the whole story, but she could _never_ lie.

Another of Pitch's _gifts_.

"Dark Ages?" Knowledge repeated, his tone quivering with the horror she had first expected.

Sighing dejectedly, Eve looked at the ground, her eyes burning in shame and humiliation. _Why did Pitch have to ruin everything?_

"Yes. The Dark Ages." The lilt in Pitch's voice was significantly condescending, even though he was addressing the very keeper of knowledge himself. "Such a _wonderful_ time, wouldn't you agree, _sister_?"

"Stop calling me that!"

"You can't contradict it though, can you?" Pitch's lips twisted up in another cruel smirk and he looked positively proud of himself.

"Are you leaving?" Tooth suddenly demanded. "We don't want you here, Pitch."

"Understandably." Jack added in an undertone. Pitch shot him a withering look.

"I won't leave unless you can make."

"Oh, _really_ mature, Pitch." Eve snarled. Her accursed brother gave a chilly, conquering smile that didn't reach his eyes. Anything he had to say though was frowned out by a deafening screech of hatred. Knowledge was the only one who reacted with any sense of insanity, giving a cheery laugh. Everyone else was suddenly alert, ready to defend themselves, but Knowledge was bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"It's OK!" He called, but his words didn't carry to the others.

A large, winged creature burst from the shrubbery and trees surrounding the frozen lake. It was easily the size of a horse, bigger maybe, but any relations to a horse stopped at the middle. Its rear end was distinctly horse-like, tan fur smooth over strong muscles with a swishing, unearthly white and flawless tail. The front half wasn't as such. Its feathers were smoothly arranged across its torso, up its neck and down its front legs. Claws as sharp as North's blades gouged the solid dirt like a hot knife through butter. Its golden eagle eyes glinted at Pitch with a look of pure loathing, its beak snapping with an equal sense of abhorrence.

"_What is that_?" Sky fired at Knowledge, rising into the sky to considerable safety.

"A Hippogriff, my fair lady! Not to worry though!"

"Not to _worry_?!" Cal argued. "Hell-_o_! That thing _flies_ and looks like it can slice _mountains_ to _ribbons_ with its _claws_." He didn't quite grasp how Father Knowledge- the apparent _smartest person on the planet_- could not quite comprehend the levels of immense danger swelling from the fearsome beast.

The Hippogriff charged Pitch, running on ice as effortlessly as running on earth. It let out another beastly cry of revulsion and, to Eve's great relish, Pitch suddenly looked panicked. He scrambled away, slipping on the ice.

His attempt at escape was to no avail. The vast creature was much faster, snapping its beak onto his robes and flattening him easily. Its talons entrapped themselves rather harshly in Pitch's shoulder blades and he loosed a strangled cry of torment.

He dissolved into black sand and slithered away, like the coward he was notorious for. The Hippogriff snorted and held its head high, turning back to them with an air of 'as-I-thought'.

Knowledge, alone, moved. He unsteadily made his way to the beast, arms out as if greeting an old friend.

"Fairy!" He chortled. "Perfect timing as usual." 'Fairy's eyes gleamed and there was a distinct _pop_, a puff of indigo smoke and the Hippogriff was gone.

In its place, hovering eye-level with Knowledge, was a six-inch tall fairy. Her thick, chocolate brown hair was an artistically messy topknot while her blue-green eyes shone with a triumphant excitement. Cal squinted at the fairy and saw blue highlights in her hair. The only fairies he'd known were the Tooth Fairies and his own mother, obviously.

"Hello!" She beamed around at them. Knowledge held his hand out and she landed softly on his palm, tucking her wings neatly against her back. Sky sank back to join them, noticing that the new fairy's wings were very much like those of a Peruvian blue morpho butterfly.

The fairy continued to smile at them all. "Terribly sorry if I scared you, but Pitch is gone, no?" Her accent was hard to place; exotic, but not. "As you've heard, I've got the most _imaginative_ name ever," She directed a highly sarcastic glance at Knowledge, "I am Fairy and it's a pleasure to meet you all."

Knowledge must have noticed their hesitant looks.

"It's alright." He promised. "Fairy has been my assistant ever since I first became Father Knowledge."

"Wow." Jack said. "Aaand… how long is that, exactly?" Father Knowledge shook his head at him, smiling in bemusement.

"Jack!" Tooth scolded.

"What? I'm trying to _learn _here!"

"Good point, but I'm not going to tell you my age."

"Oh, we were here when the dinosaurs were!" Fairy giggled.

"That's not physically possible, Fey, we've talked about this." Knowledge looked at her pointedly.

"You're not any fun anymore." She mumbled, looking about again. "Is he feeling OK?" She pointed at Cal.

"Moon and stars!" Tooth exclaimed, zipping forward and catching her son in her arms. "There's nothing to worry about Cal, OK?"

"What _is_ the matter with him?" Fairy looked up at her oldest friend.

"It has been a long night for all of us. Maybe the shock of tonight's events has not fully subsided yet." Knowledge cleared his throat and called to Tooth, "Maybe you should try telepathically calming him." Tooth just nodded, closing her eyes to better her concentration.

She knew it had worked at Eve's surprised gasp, Sky's mumble of 'idiot', Fairy's squeal and Jack's sigh of relief.

Opening her eyes, she saw her son had calmed down entirely and was looking at her with those mauve eyes. His hair had regained the iridescent hues- blues, greens and purples all blending together nicely.

"Can we go home now?" He asked quietly. "I'm really hungry."

"Trust you to have food on your mind." Tooth laughed softly, drawing him back into a hug. Seconds later, Jack appeared at her side, placing his arms about her shoulders and Cal's.

"Glad you're back to normal, kid."

"_Normal_?" Cal choked. "Puh-_lease_! I'm as far from normal as Pitch is from being a Guardian!"

"Well, I'm _sorry_." Jack replied sarcastically. "Had I known I was going to offend you, I'd have said something much worse." Cal didn't look too impressed, but Tooth stopped their play-fight and insisted that they all returned to the Tooth Palace for lunch.

"Lunch sounds good." Cal agreed.

"After everything that's happened tonight, _how_ can you think about food?!" Sky quizzed heartily. Cal shrugged.

"I'm hungry. This returning to immortality stuff isn't comfortable on an empty stomach. Hey, Eve! Come on!"

"W-what?"

"Ugh, this one needs a hearing aid…"

"Cal!"

"But-! That's… oh, _really_? Eve, move it, you're getting me in trouble." Tooth looked back at Eve and smiled kindly.

"I don't care if Pitch is your brother, you saved my son."

"Her ickle baby kins." Jack smirked, cooing teasingly at Cal and pinching his cheek lightly. Cal squirmed and uttered a protest, but Jack caught him in an underarm headlock, laughing.

"Eve, you either come with us voluntarily or I'll drag you." Tooth warned. Then she smiled brightly. "Your choice."

"Great options, Mam." Cal choked, trying to free himself from his father's hold.

"Jack, be nice! You'll mess his hair…" Fairy simpered, casting her eyes over Cal's variegated hair approvingly.

"Screw his hair. Let me mess his face…"

"Jack!" Tooth cautioned briskly. "Let him go!"

"Buzz kill…" Jack murmured, freeing his son reluctantly. Cal aimed a mildly exasperated look at his father and then his face lit up with an idea.

"What is it?" Tooth asked warily.

"Your wedding! We can plan that when we get home!" Jack and Tooth looked at each other and she smirked.

"_No_." Jack shook his head.

"Oh, come on! It'd be funny!"

"It's unrelated!"

"It's _funny_!"

"What is?" Fairy questioned, looking from one to the other in confusion. Jack bunched his jaw irritably and Tooth giggled. Cal looked equally confused, so there was no point in asking him.

"Spit it out!" Sky demanded, smiling at the annoyance on her old rival's expression. Tooth smiled impishly and turned to the others.

"No, don't-!" Jack started.

"I told Jack he should wear a kilt." **(HINT)**

"But they're skirts!" Cal objected. Tooth gave a knowing grin and they dissolved into fits of laughter. Jack watched Tooth for a few seconds, a cunning plan forming in his eyes.

"Come on, Cal. Tooth Palace looks nice in Artic conditions."

"No!" Tooth made to grab at them, but Jack already had hold of Cal and they were shooting up into the sky and off. "Get back here!" She shouted, taking flight and hurrying after them.

"Race you." Sky challenged the remaining three.

"You won't win!" Fairy declared. She darted up as fast as a bullet and vanished into the clouds. Knowledge went afterwards, leaving Sky and Eve to join in together- an equal beginning for a not so equal end.

* * *

Tooth managed to stop her two boys freezing her palace, but she was met with something much worse.

With a vibrant sunshine yellow around it, an identical staff to Jack's was leaning against the wall, highly noticeable while positioned in the entrance hall. On the floor next to it was a package wrapped in equally yellow paper.

Yellow was Cal's favourite colour.

"I think they're for you." Jack looked at his son, barely concealing a proud smile. Cal beamed excitedly and rushed forward, checking the staff and present and hopping about happily at the nametag embossed with his name.

"It's for me, it's for me, it's for me!" He chanted, staring at the two gifts with an amazement they only saw at Christmas- even though he was on the Naughty List, North could not help, but give his adoptive nephew something.

Cal poked the staff gingerly and wintery blue energy briefly flashed along it, expanding from his touch. He grabbed it and gave it a practise twirl, making it snow, but accidently sending a snowball hurtling towards Fairy.

"Eep!" Fairy cried, diving behind Jack who caught the snowball easily.

"I didn't mean to!" Cal insisted, looking worried.

"No, it is fine." Fairy waved away his apologies. "What's in the package?" Cal looked back curiously, not noticing Sky pulling on a tail of the yellow ribbon and unravelling it.

"April would like this." She mused, more to herself than anyone else.

"Aw, you do care." Eve teased.

"Shut up!"

"It's yellow too!" Cal interrupted unintentionally. He held up a yellow hooded sweatshirt, grinning from ear to ear. "And it's Pikachu!"

"It's _what_?" Tooth frowned. Cal flipped the gift around and held it up so his mother could see the hood. "What's… piktu?"

"Pik-a-chu." Cal said slowly. Then he smiled again. "It's this really cool Pokémon who goes around zapping people!"

"Pokémon?" Jack repeated.

"Jamie showed me."

"Oh, that makes sense." Cal pulled his usual black sweater over his head, wearing a T-shirt as white as snow underneath, and eagerly slid his new one on.

North burst in at the moment, carrying a large book. Bunny and Sandy barrelled straight into him, unaware of his abrupt halt.

"Cal is to be made official Guardian!" North declared, throwing up his hand to indicate celebration.

Cal stared at him, looking more gormless than usual. He found his voice eventually;

"You're mad!"

* * *

**Sorry for not updating last night. I was reading Harry Potter :3**


	30. Chapter 30

North laughed boomingly.

"Mad? Ha!" He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, still chortling. "Stand!" He pointed promptly at the floor, firmly fixing his gaze on Cal until the younger boy had moved. "Excellent! Music!"

"Oh, moon and stars…" Cal grumbled. Jack was smirking at him while Tooth beamed with pride. Sky was watching him wistfully and Eve was cracking her knuckles. Fairy was the only one to provide music, waving her arms and bringing forth a series of celebration tunes from no-where in particular before settling on Knowledge's shoulder. Knowledge looked positively thrilled at the prospect of seeing a new Guardian take his oath.

Cal wasn't so thrilled.

Something didn't sit right with him.

Yes, he had dreamt of becoming a Guardian to be like his parents, but something about it wasn't… fair.

He looked back at Sky and Eve, tipping his head sideways while contemplating them. Sky looked befuddled at his questioning look and Eve glared at him, a silent warning for him to pay attention.

"Cal!" North snapped his fingers, startling Cal.

"I didn't do it!"

"_Focus_, Cal!" Tooth hissed. North held a giant book that probably weighed as much as Cal did and he was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet with anticipation.

"Wait…" Cal started. North raised an eyebrow at him and query filled the air. Cal didn't look at any of them, looking directly up at the Moon. "One condition," He said, "They all become Guardians too." There was a shocked gasp all around, but Cal refused to look away from Manny.

By 'all', he had meant the other seasonal and holiday spirits. They deserved to be Guardians as much as he did, he thought. It was an honour to be a Guardian and it was unfair that they put in all this work to gain nothing in return.

"Cal-" Knowledge started. Jack shushed him.

"It's getting good!" He whispered happily.

"Jack!" Tooth reprimanded warningly. She fluttered forward to join Cal. "What are you thinking?"

"It's only fair that they get to be Guardians too. Think about all they do." Tooth beheld Sky and Eve over her shoulder. "All of them, Mam."

No-one got the chance to say anything. A moonbeam cut down and highlighted Cal. Tooth tensed, stepping from the light instinctively. Even Jack looked troubled.

_Think about what you are saying, Cal_. Manny's voice was warm, but it contained severe levels of precaution. _I choose Guardians when they are most needed or deserved, not as a bartering requirement_.

"Cal." Tooth breathed. "I know you're trying to do good by them, but you don't want to get on Manny's bad side. Look what happened to Pitch and Time." Tooth glanced nervously up at the Moon and continued in the same hushed voice. "They turned away from Manny as they thought they knew better. Look at them now."

"I'm not saying I know better. I'm just saying it's only fair that we all get the same amount of credit for what we all do." Tooth wrung her hands anxiously, looking pleadingly back at Jack.

"Cal." Sky voiced. "Don't cause trouble for yourself. Just… get your Guardian job. We're immortal, we can wait for our turn."

"But-"

"I'll get the clown back." Eve threatened, her eyes gleaming mischievously with triumph. Cal blanched. "Sky's right." Eve paused. "Never thought I'd say that." Sky hit her in the arm. "And so is your mother. You don't want to reject… Manny, is it? I've always called him the Big Cheese."

"That's so stereotypical." Sky returned.

"I wasn't asking you." Eve muttered in reply, exchanging daring looks with her new friend. "And you heard Manny. We either get picked because we deserve it or we're needed. I certainly don't deserve it and we're not really needed at the moment, are we?"

"Now you're just making yourself sound useless." Cal pointed out irritably.

"You cannot avoid this." North intervened. "It is fate." He placed a mighty hand on Cal's shoulder and beamed at him. Cal opened his mouth to protest, but Fairy interrupted.

"Cal! It takes two words to become a Guardian, just flipping do it!" They all blinked at her. "What?"

"She's known you five minutes and is already telling you off." Knowledge chuckled. "That's a record, Cal."

"I'm entitled to my own opinions,_ Timothy_." Fairy smirked. Knowledge fumed silently, but said nothing. "I win."

Cal still looked ready to object, but Eve beat everyone else to the threatening.

"I will get an _army_ of clowns if you don't agree to this!"

"You wouldn't…"

"Don't test me, Frost." She flicked her fingers and a single, demonic clown appeared to her left. Cal jumped back so far; he crashed into North and smacked his head on the almighty book. "Want another one?"

"N-no…" If he said anymore, he would have been horrendously sick.

Eve willed the clown away and a ring of fairies descended on Cal, chattering away. He noticeably calmed after a minute or so and edged back to where he had been, shooting Eve wary looks.

North summoned the music again and read the Guardian protocol out to his young nephew. Cal was leaning on his new staff and doing his best to focus, but his eyes flitted about. Eve was so tempted to have a few of his clowns appear out of nowhere and hover, concealed in the shadows, for him alone to see.

But this was his big day. She couldn't ruin it for him.

"Will you, Cal Frost, be a Guardian?" Cal looked back at his parents, who smiled encouragingly. Then, he looked to Sky and Eve. Both of them clenched their fists and glowered at him demandingly. Eve made a miniature clown dance maniacally across her palm.

This still didn't seem fair, but he didn't want those clowns back. And this was his life's goal.

"OK." He smiled tentatively at North, who gave another booming laugh and snapped the book shut. North caught him in a one-armed hug and nearly crushed the life from him.

* * *

**I'm sorry it's short and not really that amazing, but I'm hoping to finish the story off with a couple of chapters of Frostbite wedding :3**


	31. Chapter 31

**Sorry for not updating the last two days- I was watching The Mortal Instruments movie one night and I was reading last night/ didn't really have mental will to write anything. I'm going to try, though, tonight.**

**To You know my sis/ evilorgooddevil-I decide- Hello! I never knew goodorevilangel-your choice had a sister! For your character, is Patrick St. Patrick? I wasn't sure. I can add her in briefly in the next chapter/epilogue, hopefully, but if you send me a full character profile, I could try and work her in to another story, should I do a sequel or something. Or if you want me to write her up as you want, I'll keep her out and wait for your character profile so I can write it up properly. What does she look like, likes, dislikes, etc. etc. I hope you don't mind!**

* * *

"Mam, are you panicking?"

"No!" Tooth squeaked. "Well, a bit. I don't like my dress!" She despaired. Cal checked the hallways before closing and locking the door.

"Chill, Mam, your favourite son is here."

"You're my _only_ son, that doesn't count."

"So… can I have a brother and then you decide?" Tooth looked at him pointedly. "Oh, dress, right." He turned to look at her dress in the corner. He didn't see what the problem was with it. It was a flowing long, traditional white dress without sleeves. The bodice glittered in the morning sun cascading through the windows.

He gave his mother a quizzical look. "What's the matter with it?"

"I don't think dresses suit me."

"There is nothing you can't pull off, Mam."

"You're just saying that!"

"Hey, you're the one that goes around in multi-coloured feathers twenty-four/ seven! You could so rock a dress!"

"But not that one." Tooth mumbled, torn between annoyance and glee at the compliments. She waved her hands desperately, fussing and pacing the room again. "Oooh, what do I do? It's too late for another dress and I can't call it off!" Cal opened his mouth to suggest an idea he gleaned from a film he had watched recently, but she was muttering to herself again. "Do I really need the dress? I never wear dresses. Jack would be disappointed though."

"Dad'll be happy if you turn up, Mam." Cal interjected. Tooth shook her head, continuing her pacing with a strong set of nerves. "You have been waiting for this day for nearly twenty years now, I worked it out." She stared at him. "Yes, I can add up, leave it out."

"What do I do, Cal?!" She cried.

"I could possibly make you a new dress."

"_How_? We're behind as it is!" Her eyes found a clock and she looked sickly. "Half an hour! Cal, why-?"

"Mam, _relax_. And keep still, I need to focus."

"What are you doing?"

"Something I saw on a movie."

"Cal!"

"Wut? It's a good idea and you might even like it!" Tooth held his gaze demandingly. "So what if it's a film? I learn a lot of stuff from them!" She made a face of silent objection, but she was so nervous that anything seemed good right now, even if it was one of Cal's ideas.

She was suddenly surrounded by cold and snow.

"_Cal_!" The flurry about her faltered and he grimaced.

"Trying to concentrate here!"

"Your head will explode." He snorted with laughter and the flurry vanished as he doubled over with snickers.

"That's mean!" He declared once his fit of giggles had subsided, standing straight and pointing accusingly at his mother. "Now, shush, I'm trying to help." Tooth obliged, shifting her weight from one foot to the other with anxiety.

The flurry returned, as did the cold, but it wasn't a biting and uncomfortable cold. This was more of a soft winter's breeze that was tolerable. It spiralled around her ankles and trailed up her legs. She focused on Cal rather than whatever was happening. His eyes were closed and his features twisted in concentration.

The winter was coiling around her waist and travelling further up, sliding down her arms. She shivered unintentionally, but the coldness lasted another half minute.

Cal lowered his hands and opened his eyes to look at her imploringly.

Tooth turned slowly, the dress feather-light and surprisingly warm, considering it was made from a winter spirit. She'd have thought it would feel like snow or ice, but it didn't. It felt like soft, silken material instead.

She caught sight of her reflection and gasped. The dress sparkled all over like freshly fallen snow. The skirt wasn't as pronounced as the other one, but much longer, pooling about her feet and trailing five, six feet behind her without so much as a rustle. The sleeves were comfortably tight, ending at a large snowflake on the back of her hands. Turning this way and that, she saw more snowflakes dancing amongst the sparkling of the dress.

Cal's reflection rolled his hands thoughtfully and he disappeared. She turned away from staring at the dress with some difficulty, but was caught about the shoulders by Cal and a shawl.

It was as soft as the dress itself and as pale blue as a winter's sky. He smoothed it over her shoulders, his eyes burning in fierce concentration. Back and front, it came to a smooth point directly in the middle, tickling her lower back and stomach. He waggled his fingers and another accumulation of snowflakes sprinkled themselves over the shawl.

"Cal-" She started.

"Nope, not done yet. Ssh!" He smiled reassuringly and then looked up at her feathers. He raised his hands, flicking his fingers again and she felt the cold return. It looped around her head and, when he dropped his hands, she felt a weight there.

"What-?" He turned her back to face the mirror and flourished his hands.

"Ta da!" He beamed. He had crafted her a tiara purely of ice, white and pale blue, that just completed the outfit entirely. Tooth stammered for what felt like a lifetime and then whirled around, smothering her son in the biggest hug of his life.

"I don't say this often, but you're a genius!" He smiled, hoping that his mother didn't suffocate him on the biggest day of her life.

"Flowers." He mumbled, his smile faltering. "I can't do flowers."

"Cal, you've done brilliantly, I can't thank you enough!"

"I'm still getting you flowers." He hummed in thought, casting his eyes at the floor. He brightened a moment later. "April! She _always_ makes flowers appear from nowhere!" He glanced at the clock and his smile fell a fraction. "We've got ten minutes!"

"Quick!" She picked up her dress as not to trip over it and hurried after Cal. Unlike the rest of them, Cal hadn't dressed up for the wedding. It was either he wore what he always wore or a dress to fulfil his role as 'bridesmaid'. Rather reluctantly, but with much amusement, Jack and Tooth had agreed for him to be a bridesmaid of sorts. He had looked so happy about that.

They made it to the venue in record time. North and April were outside, waiting.

"Where have- wow…"

"I love your dress!" April gushed, bouncing forward and circling Tooth rapidly.

"April!" Cal grabbed her by the wrist. "We're missing flowers."

"No!" She cried. With a wave of her hands, she conjured up a luscious bouquet of vibrant, thorn-free red roses. "Here!" She pressed them carefully into Tooth's hands and adjusted them carefully with an unnatural look of attention. "Oh, moon and stars, it's missing something!" She appeared to be on the verge of tears. "The red clashes with your dress!"

"Make them blue." Cal suggested. "A darker blue than the shawl, but not too dark." She brightened and flicked her fingers at the roses. The turned the colour of a summer sky and Cal decorated them with a fine layer of glittering frost.

"Are we ready?" North questioned, smiling. Tooth smoothed her dress down and nodded, excited and scared. "Jack will get shock of life when he sees you!" He beamed. He, being the most prominent father figure in Tooth's life, got to her lead her down the aisle. Bunny and Sandy were both the best man seeing as Jack couldn't decide.

April and Cal pushed the doors open together. Amber, right on cue, started playing the 'here comes the bride' music and everyone turned to face the door. Tooth felt heat rise in her cheeks, smiling bashfully at them all.

She looked at Jack last and saw that she had left him well and truly stunned. His surprised, gormless look made him appear even more endearing.

The two youngsters behind them hurried to their seats, trying to draw as little attention to themselves as possible, and that worked. The women seated here were staring at Tooth, gobsmacked at the change of dress and shooting her demanding looks- _what happened to the dress we all agreed on_?!

Tooth didn't give them much thought as she carefully stepped up the three steps and stood next to Jack. He was still staring at her as if he'd never seen her before.

"Hello." She breathed. He managed a string of incoherent babbling. Bunny snickered behind them and Jack seemed to pull himself together.

"I thought you couldn't get any better." He replied softly for her alone to hear. If possible, she turned even redder. Her face felt like it was on fire.

Cupid himself was there to marry them, Valentino hovering in the background. He bounced on the balls of his feet, eager and raring to help at the drop of a hat.

Tooth managed to draw her eyes from Jack- looking rather handsome in a white tux- and to the hall.

It was, in a word, seasonal. The whole thing was made of ice, but the other three seasons had stepped in. There were garlands of leaves, fresh summer green leaves and varying, bright spring flowers. All of it was draped beautifully and evenly around the ginormous hall. It was wrapped around the columns, along the edges of the ceiling, weaved through the arch under which the happy couple stood. The bursts of colour were set amazingly against the dazzling blue-white ice, giving warmth to the winter.

Clearing his throat, Cupid drew them all back to the marriage.

"We are gathered here today to _finally_ witness Jack and Toothiana-"

"Just Tooth." Tooth hissed.

"My apologies. But you should have been married years ago." He whispered back. Tooth glowered at him and he hurried on with the ceremony. "As I was saying, we have finally reached the long-awaited for wedding and it's about bloody time."

"Cupid!" Bunny warned. Cupid regarded him momentarily. It wasn't a good idea to mess with Cupid, considering he planned people's love lives as easily as ruining them.

"So, anyway, rings and vows!" Cupid was the most unprofessional priest in existence, but he did put an interesting twist on things. "No, vows before rings. Ladies first?" He asked, looking quizzically at Tooth.

She looked at Jack, who still didn't seem all that with it. She had felt his gaze on her ever since she had entered the room, meeting it a few times only to look away again moments later, her cheeks ablaze.

Cal was sat in the second row with Sky, Amber and April. Eve was sat behind him and kept flicking him in the back of the head. Father Knowledge was on the other side of the room with Fairy and Mother Nature. The Leprechaun was just about visible by his vivid red hair- he had removed his green top hat- and next to him sat Jamie, Tiana and the spirit of Independence Day. Finally, filling the two front rows were the tooth fairies, all of whom were chattering excitedly.

Bunny and Sandy joined them moments later, Bunny joining in snickering with Cal while Tooth scrambled to remember her vows. It didn't help that Jack was smiling at her like that.

"Ain't you supposed to be up there anyway?" Bunny asked. "With the rings." He added at Cal's blank look.

"Uh, in a minute." Bunny just nodded and settled down to watch the ceremony.

"Cal would hate me to say this, but you're… the world's biggest trouble-maker." Cal did articulate an incoherent protest. Bunny elbowed him sharply into silence. "But you're _my_ trouble-maker and… Cupid is right. We should have done this first." She bit her lip, her eyes suddenly teary. Jack took her hand, concern wrought on his expression. "Thirteen years is a long time." She mumbled, giving a watery smile. "I've missed you, Jack. More than I can say. Now is a good time."

Cupid beamed at her and Cal, scarily, could see the excitement storming in his eyes. A happy Cupid wasn't always a good Cupid. Then again, neither was a mad Cupid.

Everyone looked expectantly at Jack, who had appeared to forgotten how to breathe. Bunny and Cal dissolved into fresh fits of silent laughter, being hit by Sky and Amber warningly to calm down. Eve gave an equally cautionary tug on Cal's hair and Bunny's ear.

"Behave!" She breathed threateningly. They did try.

Jack had finally figured out how to talk.

"I… don't really remember much from those thirteen years. But it was dark, very dark. Then you… you came along again and… it just seemed so different, so _right_. Seeing you again… it was like waking up from that lake again with only the Moon brightening everything." He paused, looking sheepish. "As corny as it may sound, you were like my moon then and…" He hunched his shoulders. "Without you… it just… it just seems dark again." He shook his head. "I don't like that." Meeting her gaze, he smiled. "But now you're stuck with me." She gave a soft laugh, her eyes watery again.

"Rings!" Cupid declared. He and Valentino looked ready to explode with happiness at any second. **OTP!**

Cal pulled the two rings from his pocket, but, with the seasonal spirits on one side and Bunny and Sandy on the other, he was stuck.

He fixed this by sending them forward on a rolling cloud of snow. His parents beamed at him as Cupid secured the rings. "Very nice." He commented, examining them. "Here we go." He handed them the opposite rings and waved his hands, encouraging them to face each other. "Do you take Jack Frost to be your husband, yes or no?" He demanded.

"Yes." Tooth smiled.

"And do you take Toothiana Fairy to be your wife, _yes or no_?"

"Hell yes." Jack grinned.

"Rings on, then _kiss_!" Cupid was all but singing and dancing now. Tooth and Jack were trying not to laugh at his absurdity as they placed the ring on the other's finger.

They leaned in and then everything was blocked by something furry.

"Bunny!" Cal heard seconds later. His mother started laughing. "You're so immature!" Jack started laughing then too. Bunny lowered his paw and smiled lopsidedly at Cal, who was blinking at the brightness of his ice church.

"Throw the flowers!" April exclaimed, bouncing in her seat. She kept glancing at Bunny, who remained oblivious.

"Outside." Tooth assured, linking her arm with Jack's. They hurried down the steps and out the doors. Everyone else hurried after them, cheers and laughter ringing out. Cal waved his hands and confetti-mixed-with-snow-and-flower-petals burst from hollow frozen orbs lining the path leading to the church.

His parents slowed, hands out with their palms facing the sky and looking up as the confetti combination drifted gently down around them.

"He may be a pain in the neck, but your son knows how to plan a wedding." Sky smiled.

"I had help!"

* * *

**Ta da! Next chapter will probably be the last one and then I can get back to my Percy Jackson ones! Woo! :D Going to miss this one though… **


	32. Chapter 32

**Last chapter, peeps! Then hopefully back to good old Percy Jackson!**

* * *

Jack had managed to convince Tooth on going on a two day honeymoon. It wasn't that much time, in his opinion, but she had vital work to do and it wasn't the best of ideas to leave Cal unattended for such a long time.

"I'll race you." Tooth challenged.

"But I don't want to go home. I like it here."

"Jack…" She warned. He made a face at her. He wasn't overly happy with going home after two days, but he had no choice. "Last one back has to look after Cal for a month."

"I thought that was a joint effort?"

"Well, yes, but not if you don't hurry." She smirked at him and took off. Jack hurried after her, catching up in a matter of seconds. He gave her an impish grin and then vanished, plummeting so suddenly, she felt her heart jump to her throat.

Despite his reckless speed, they reached the Tooth Palace together. So that meant they both had to watch Cal for a month.

But Cal had really come into his own during the two days that they had been away. Bunny and Sandy had spent a day each keeping an eye on home and there were thousands of fairies to report any mischief, should the need arise.

Shockingly, there wasn't any.

Cal was running and jumping about the central control room, issuing orders and jokes alike as easy as pie. Tooth and Jack weren't quite sure how to react and ended up standing in the doorway for a good ten minutes, watching him hurry about and undergoing his mother's work.

"South America, sector three." He told one fairy. "England, sector one; Brazil, sector seventeen…"

"I didn't know he could do that tooth finding thing." Jack murmured in his wife's ear.

"Neither did I." Tooth admitted just as quietly. Jack saw she wore a strong look of pride, her eyes sparkling.

"Mam, Dad, you're home!" Cal dropped down to greet them, colliding with the pair of them in an ecstatic hug. "When did you get back?" He beamed.

"Ten minutes ago, give or take." Jack shrugged. "What happened?"

"Well, the fairies were panicking and… well, I just… randomly knew what to do, so ta da!"

"We could have stayed on the honeymoon!" Tooth ignored her husband and hugged her son again.

"I never thought you'd get fairy powers like this!" She laughed softly. "First the telepathy, then the walls…"

"Mam… can't… _breathe_!" Tooth loosened her hold, mumbling an apology.

"What about the snow?" Jack asked warily. Cal suddenly looked sheepish.

"About that…" He said, eyeing his staff as though it were the troublemaker and not him. "You might want to check a few of the corridors…"

"Why?"

"Bunny made me jump and… I froze a few corridors. I tried to undo it, honest!" He asserted at his mother's waning smile. "But I just made it worse." He certainly did look remorseful, so Tooth decided to go easy on him _this time_.

"I'll take a look at it later." Jack promised. "Show me this fairy thing." Cal's eyes lit up happily and he floated back up to the command centre, his parents tailing him. Tooth was itching to join in, but she wanted to observe Cal more, feeling very much like exploding with pride.

They later learnt that Baby Tooth and Emily had kept a very strict eye on Cal, only having to tell him off a dozen times in the two days about his immaturity. That was a record for Cal, one he didn't like.

"I really shouldn't work so hard." He decided, once his mother took back over. "It feels weird." Jack chuckled.

"Certainly does." He agreed. "Hence why I stick to snow days."

"You're just lazy." Tooth called over her shoulder. Jack wrinkled his nose at her behind her back, but she was too busy sending a small group of fairies to sector fourteen in Italy. "You better stop pulling faces and go sort out those corridors, Jack." She said with an air of finality over her shoulder. Jack stared at her, convinced that she had eyes in the back of her head.

"Come on then, trouble." Jack beckoned Cal to follow him. "Which corridors?" Cal pressed his lips together and hummed indecisively. "Cal. Which. Corridors?"

"All the ones on my floor." Cal replied in a rush. Jack barely grasped what he said. "But it was an accident and you can fix it, right?" He stared imploringly and hopefully at his father.

"Yeah, I suppose I can." Cal beamed at him. Jack returned it crookedly and took flight. Cal did too seconds later. "I heard you wanted a brother?"

"It'd be cool. Imagine if he had winter powers too!" Jack grinned. "How fun would that be?!" Cal's enthusiasm at the idea was almost over-whelming.

"I think your mam can just about handle us two." Cal looked mildly crestfallen. "I'm not finished yet, no waterworks."

"I don't cry. Only babies cry."

"And what are you?"

"_Leave out the shortness_!" Cal reprimanded, splattering a snowball down the back of his father's hoodie. Jack just smiled at him, unaffected entirely by the cold.

"Anyway, _as I was saying_, Manny told us how you came about- I'm not telling you, your brain would explode-" Cal looked highly insulted, but Jack remained blasé to this. "And I'm going to try and do some sneakiness and… impossible baby number two, hopefully."

"What if Pitch comes back though?"

"I'll set Tooth on him." Jack replied casually. "Oh, wow, you did make a mess." They landed at the end of the corridor leading to Cal's room. It was definitely a Frost mess; there was no other way of putting it. Three feet of snow, ice jagged across the walls and ceiling with stalactites finishing just above Jack's head.

"It-was-an-accident-I-swear-but-if-you're-going-to-blame-someone-blame-Bunny-he-made-me-jump."

"_Breathe_." Jack reminded him, raising his staff. Snow and ice peeled away from all surfaces and barrelled down the hall, folding in on itself. Jack and Cal ran after it, Cal immensely relieved that his mess hadn't been permanent.

It took Jack fifteen minutes to clear up his son's winter accident. A thought had occurred to him during this time: "Cal? You didn't just work while we were away, did you?"

"Not _exactly_…" His eyes darted about and he was torn between looking pleased with himself and contrite. "I may or may not have severely pranked North's office."

"With?"

"Oh, the usual." He said, waving it off airily. Jack stared at him, demanding elaboration. "Well, you should ask him."

"When did you set this up?"

"Just after you left." Cal was now studying his palm, flexing his fingers. Jack could hear Tooth's voice in the back of his head- _He shouldn't get away with pranking North!_- but he had to know more! He couldn't help himself.

"So spill. What'd you do?" Jack shook him by the shoulders demandingly. Cal grinned devilishly and made to tell his father everything when he was waylaid by a dozen fairies at least.

_Your mam wants a word with you! Carmen_ informed him.

_North's here_! Gabrielle added.

"Really? Dad, come on! North's here! Hey, hey, less shoving. I'm valuable merchandise." Jack snorted disbelievingly with laughter, but Cal was too busy dealing with very stubborn fairies.

North was, indeed, waiting for Cal. Thick, luminous green goo was dribbled in his hair and beard and his face was blotchy with red, blue and purple ink. His clothes were all decidedly bright pink and his boots had had fluffy white pom poms stuck to them.

"_Explain yourself_." Tooth growled, hands on her hips and weighing that scrutinising glower on her son. He was in _so_ much trouble.

"I was bored."

"Who was meant to be watching you?"

"No-one. I had three hours to myself just after you left."

"What? _Why_?"

"I don't know."

"What else did you do? North tells me his office is worse."

"Oh… well…" Cal glanced nervously at his father, but he was in the dog house now. "Redecorated it."

"How?"

"Pink. And yellow. Lots of yellow." North met his gaze with a steely fashion. "And several trip wires, buckets of goo and that weird dummy in the cupboard."

"You're going to go to North's office and you're going to clean it to _exactly_ how it was. _Then_, you're going to dye all his clothes to their original colours and get rid of all the green goo. You are _not_ to leave the North Pole until North's happy _everything_ is back to the way it was, _understood_?"

"Yes, Mam." She sighed.

"Honestly, Cal. You go from hard-working to childish in _minutes_."

"This was before all the hard work." He replied quietly. Tooth didn't look impressed. "Mam, I can't help it! I was unsupervised and the possibilities were endless!"

"Aren't you supposed to be cleaning?!"

"Right now?"

"Right five minutes ago." Cal blinked at her and then realised that he should hurry to the North Pole before his mother dragged him kicking and screaming.

"I'm going, I'm going." He assured. "Race you there, North." He jumped up and hurtled head first at a wall, vanishing straight through it.

"North, I'm so sorry." Tooth's tone was softer now. "He shouldn't have been left alone for three hours; you know what he's like. I'd never imagine he'd go to this sort of extreme though."

"He is prankster." North looked after Cal. "But he won't be leaving until I feel better about my office."

North left too.

Tooth exhaled slowly and sank to sit on the floor.

"That boy…" She exasperated in a sigh. "What are we going to do with him?"

"I don't know." Jack sat next to her. "But he wants a brother to join him." Tooth stared at him incredulously. "Not my idea, I swear."

"He did mention it to me too." She lay down on the floor, placing her feet in his lap. "I think we'll just stick with him for now. Kids are mad."

* * *

**Probably not much of a final chapter, but no cliffy! The only bit about this that was planned was Cal taking over with the Tooth Fairy business while his parents were away. So, I'm sorry if it's pants, but I'm not feeling up to much tonight. **

**Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing! **


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